World's largest high-altitude wind energy kite takes flight in China

The world's largest 5,000-square-meter high-altitude wind energy kite took to the skies at a test site in Alxa Left Banner of Alxa League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on Wednesday. The completion of all scheduled tests marks a major step forward in China's high-altitude wind power technology.

At the test site, a helium balloon lifted the kite to an altitude of about 300 meters, where it unfolded and, through traction cables, drove a ground-based generator to produce electricity. Unlike the conventional wind turbine structure of "tower + nacelle + blades," the ladder-type high-altitude wind power system consists of "airborne components, traction cables and ground components." It functions as a "giant kite," capturing steady winds at higher altitudes and converting them into electrical energy.

Compared with traditional onshore wind power, high-altitude wind energy can save 95 percent of land use, reduce steel consumption by 90 percent and cut the cost of electricity by 30 percent. A 10-megawatt system can generate about 20 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually –  enough to power 10,000 households for a year.