We haven't run out of ideas for ground-tethered systems to generate electricity by tapping the wind yet. Windmills are the beginning (though they seem to draw hysterical criticism from some quarters), but we've seen a number of other options, from wind hunting barges to spining blimp turbines to parasails to pull cargo ships.
An assembly looking something like a four rotor helicopter crossed with a glider would rise to jet stream altitudes and tap the high speed winds there for power which would be transmited back to the ground via the tether cable. The generator could also be flown, or kept aloft when winds were low by reversing the flow and sending power to the propellers to keep it flying.
Another proposal covered in the same article would use a series of kites which can alter their configuration. Each kite would be drawn aloft by the winds, pulling out its cable as it went and turning a generator as the line was played out. Once it reached its maximum altitude, it would change shape to catch less wind, allowing it to return back to the ground where it could then begin another cycle. Several of these operating in tandem would allow a station to provide continuous power from a series of these kites rising and falling.
via: BoingBoing
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APR 16
"can you put it on a boat maybe? Then it would be safer if it failed a..."
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