Connect with us

Energy

Google’s giant “kite” can generate wind energy from almost anywhere

Published

6 years ago

on

A Google X division company named Makani has designed a giant “kite” that can generate enough wind energy to power about 300 homes. Named the “M600” after the 600 kW of electricity produced by its movement, the craft resembles a sport glider with two levels of multiple propellers on the front, more generally described as an aerodynamic wing. After more than ten years of development and a prototype test flight in 2016, M600 has begun full size testing in Hawaii this year to continue its journey towards becoming a portable power solution that can be brought anywhere with sufficient wind to propel it.

The functionality of M600 is fairly straightforward. After being connected to a 1400 foot high-strength tether, it uses 8 onboard motors to climb from a 15-foot base station to its determined altitude (about 1000 ft) with a small amount of voltage power. Then, it transitions into crosswind where it flies in 800 foot wide loops lasting 10-25 seconds each to generate maximum power via onboard computers guided by data from sensors, GPS, and an inertial navigation system.

The rotation of the 85 foot wide kite’s rotors drives magnet motors/generators on board, producing electricity that transfers down the tether where it can be connected to an energy grid. The electricity comes down in DC (direct current), but is converted to AC (alternating current) at its base station.

One of the needs driving Makani’s kite is accessing wind sources that aren’t practical or cost-effective in today’s markets. Its mass is about 10% of a conventional wind turbine with similar output thanks to the carbon fiber materials it’s primarily made from. The lighter, portable design of the M600 could help bring wind energy to areas devastated by natural disasters and places where coastal waters are too deep for other wind systems to sit on the seabed.

Google’s X division (under the broader parent company Alphabet Inc.) is a secretive development factory dedicated to radical innovations that solve the world’s toughest problems. It provided the initial funding for Makani’s kite technology as part of its 2007 RE<C initiative and officially graduated the company into X in 2013. As part of X, the company is working towards the one of the division’s missions of promoting global adoption of renewable energy and developing airborne wind energy technology.

Makani is not the only company developing flying wind generators. The “airborne wind energy” (AWE) industry is full of competitors developing their own versions. As a new clean energy technology, though, AWE companies face an uphill battle in becoming commercially viable due to research and development costs that take years, a problem faced by many new industries overall. However, as the technology comes to market and matures, AWE could follow the path forged by traditional turbine wind power which is now competitive with fossil fuels. A recent report by IDTechEx projected AWE will become a multi-billion dollar industry within 20 years.

The Makani team is continuing to develop more advanced versions of its wind energy kite while discussing the technical and economic integration aspects of the technology with industry experts. Initial ground and hover tests of the kite begun in Hawaii in August this year. In the coming weeks, the full 85-foot commercial version of the M600 will finally be tested.

Watch the below video to see the M600 prototype in action:

Related Topics:

Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

Continue Reading
Comments

Energy

Tesla Energy had a blockbuster 2024

Published

2 months ago

on

December 31, 2024

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla Energy has become the undisputed dark horse of the electric vehicle maker. This was highlighted by Tesla Energy’s growing role in the company’s overall operations in the past quarters. 

And as per Tesla’s year-end milestone posts on X, Tesla Energy had a blockbuster 2024.

Tesla Energy’s 2024 milestones:

  • As per Tesla on its official social media account on X, the company has hit over 800,000 Powerwalls installed worldwide. 
  • From this number, over 100,000 Powerwall batteries have been enrolled in virtual power plant (VPP) programs.
  • The Powerwall 3 has officially been launched in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • The Tesla Megapack hit over 22 GWh in operation across more than 60 countries across the globe.
  • The Lathrop Megafactory, which produces the Megapack, has been ramped to 40 GWh per year. 
  • The Lathrop Megafactory has also produced its 10,000th Megapack battery.
  • The Shanghai Megafactory was completed in just seven months, and it is ready to start Megapack production in Q1 2025.

Powerwall owners’ 2024 impact:

  • As per Tesla Energy, Powerwall owners generated a total of 4.5 TWh of solar energy globally in 2024. This was equivalent to powering a Model 3 for more than 17 billion miles.
  • A total of 1.1 TWh of energy was stored in Powerwalls in 2024. This protected homes from over 5.8 million outages during the year.
  • Tesla’s Storm Watch feature for Powerwall batteries covered 2.8 million severe weather events over the year.
  • Powerwall owners saw collective savings of over $800 million on utility bills.
  • Virtual Power Plants contributed over 2.2 GWh of power to the grid. This reduced the need for 2,200 metric tons of fossil fuel peaker plant emissions.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Continue Reading

Energy

Utah’s rPlus Energies breaks ground on Tesla Megapack battery system

Published

6 months ago

on

September 24, 2024

By

Credit: Tesla

Utah-based rPlus Energies recently held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Green River Energy Center, a 400 MW solar PV and 400 MW/1,600 MWh battery storage project in Eastern Utah. Tesla Megapacks will be used as the upcoming facility’s battery storage solution. 

At 400 MW/1,600 MWh, the Green River Energy Center is expected to become one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects under development in the United States. Once operational, the facility would supply power to PacifiCorp under a power purchase agreement, as noted in a press release. 

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox shared his excitement for the project during the Green River Energy Center’s groundbreaking event. As per the Utah Governor, the solar and battery storage system represents a notable step forward for the state’s sustainable energy efforts. 

“This project is being built in rural Utah, by rural Utahns, and for all of Utah. When rural Utah thrives, the entire state prospers. Today, we’re not just breaking ground—we’re building a future of affordable, abundant energy in Utah,” the official noted. 

The Green River Energy Center secured over $1 billion in construction debt financing earlier this year. The facility is also expected to create about 500 jobs, many of which will be filled by local workers. With this in mind, the solar and battery farm would likely prove to be a boost to Emery County’s economy, enhancing tax revenue, strengthening public services, and offering long-term employment opportunities for the area’s residents. 

Sundt Construction will serve as the project’s contractor, EliTe Solar will supply the solar modules, and Tesla will provide the battery storage system for the project. Luigi Resta, President and CEO of rPlus Energies, noted that the Green River Energy Center is special because of the entities that have worked together to make the facility a reality. 

“It’s the partners that make this project special, that have made this monumental project possible. From our equipment providers to the onsite talent, and the support of the local and regional community, we owe this project’s success to each of you,” he stated. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Continue Reading

Energy

Tesla Energy loses director who brought Autobidder

Published

6 months ago

on

September 5, 2024

By

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla Energy is losing a director who brought Autobidder, a real-time trading and control platform that provides value-based asset management and portfolio optimization, to the company.

Rohan Ma, who has been at Tesla for just under eight years, announced he would depart the company on LinkedIn, aiming to take on a new opportunity elsewhere.

Ma posted:

“After eight years at Tesla, this will be my last week. It was a ride of a lifetime! Today, Tesla Energy is thriving and I can confidently say it’s in the best position it has ever been in to drive impact toward the original mission I signed up for. I’m proud to have contributed over the years to where it is now, and will be cheering the team on from the sidelines as they carry the torch forward and continue to relentlessly solve problems at the frontier of the energy transition.”

Ma started as the Senior Manager of Energy Optimization at Tesla back in November 2016. After four-and-a-half years at the position, he then moved on to a new role as the Director of Energy and Software Optimization. He has been in that role for over three years.

The exit of Ma is the latest in Tesla’s tough year in terms of losing high-level employees.

Earlier this year, as a part of widespread layoffs, Tesla eliminated up to 20 percent of its workforce and people like Rebecca Tinucci, who was the company’s Senior Director of EV Charging.

Tesla also lost Rohan Patel, Vice President of Global Public Policy and Business Development, and Martin Viecha, who was Head of Investor Relations, are just a few notables to depart.

Autobidder

Tesla’s Autobidder platform helps owners and operators make money by autonomously monetizing battery assets. It is a real-time trading and control platform that maximizes revenue according to business objectives and risk preferences.

Tesla Megapack, Autobidder to be deployed in big battery project in Queensland

Autobidder already has hundreds of megawatt-hours under management and continues to scale. It is hosted on Tesla’s secure cloud infrastructure that is engineered to handle large and complex computations.

Without Ma’s expertise, Autobidder would likely not be involved in Tesla’s Energy division at all, and although it is not frequently discussed, it is still a major part of the business’s growth over the past several years.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Continue Reading