Feasibility Demonstration of a Wind Energy Glider for Renewable Energy at Small and Mid-sized Farms

Small and mid-sized farms continue to struggle to increase profits and reduce fixed costs. While renewable energy can have a substantial impact on cost reduction, only a small fraction of US farms have enough wind to benefit from wind turbines. However, 1000 feet above the ground, at least half of US farms have average wind speeds sufficient to cost-effectively produce energy. Our vision is for a wind energy system that cost-effectively harvests high-altitude winds and provides distributed, renewable energy for farms. The Energy Glider system will arrive at a farm in a small car-towable trailer. The trailer is anchored to the ground and connected to the local electrical system. In a matter of hours, the system is assembled and powered on, and a tethered glider is launched into the air. The glider then begins an automated cycle of ascent and descent - pulling the tether with each ascent to spin a generator on the ground - and produce standard grid-quality electricity that meets a substantial fraction of the electrical needs of a typical small farm. This project is intended to prove both the technical feasibility of such a system and determine beyond our initial informal survey, if US farmers are willing to pay for such a system.