Airborne Wind Turbines from NASA Could Collect Lots of Energy

A researcher from NASA believes that in the near future wind farms will generate power not only on land and sea, but in the air as well.

The airborne turbines in the image will be able to produce more energy due to greater wind speeds at high altitudes. After collecting enough energy these turbines would send it back to Earth through nanotube tether cables.

A group of such turbines could stay in the air for a year. During storms they could be easily reeled in.

According to NASA aerospace engineer Mark Moore, this project is definitely worth launching. He says that at an altitude of 2000 feet, one wind turbine can collect between 8 and 27 times the power production.

However, the project has some drawbacks. Researchers say that the airborne turbines could have a 2-mile protected no-fly zone, thus causing certain issues for airliners and unmanned aircrafts, reports POPSCI.