An untethered AWE cannot produce any power
Comment on 'Windmill': China tests world’s first megawatt-level airship to capture high winds
humanspiral@lemmy.ca 6 days ago
Incredible progress on a concept that has been seeking investment for last 15 years. It doesn’t just provide 1.2mw, it also operates at a higher capacity factor than capturing winds closer to ground. I’m sure it can scale even higher.
This is useful for clean energy shipping. Design supports an unthethered airship that produces H2 and transports it at the same time. I believe the design would support forward momentum directly upwind, but some tacking angle would be supported.
This is not just a breakthrough in wind energy generation, it is a breakthrough in airship capability.
5gruel@lemmy.world 6 days ago
humanspiral@lemmy.ca 6 days ago
Contentious. Thethering increases power production by restricting the “sail movement power”. The blimp part is highly/perfectly aerodynamic, and the betz limit means that a turbine does not fully “act like a parachute”. Ground vehicles that proved faster than wind speed directly upwind could use similar principle to turn a propulsion prop, that increases forward/apparent wind speed generating more power.
This relates to same incredulity for faster than wind upwind ground experiment, and needs experimental proof. But principles of sailing are indeed magical, and simply generating enough power to move forward is extremely useful, even if tacking were needed.
5gruel@lemmy.world 5 days ago
In all your examples there is the ground to provide a counteracting force. Maybe I am misunderstanding what you mean by untethered, but any initial airspeed difference between the wind and your system will eventually vanish and you’ll move along with the surrounding air.
I co-founded an AWE startup 8 years ago and let me tell you, literature does not support your claim.
MBech@feddit.dk 6 days ago
Also, it looks cool as fuck!
Poem_for_your_sprog@lemmy.world 6 days ago
…produces H2?
humanspiral@lemmy.ca 6 days ago
electrolysis of water (partially from starting water reservoir, and partially from air humidity = dehumidifier step), can displace water weight with increased H2 pressure in airship. Can put an infinite amount of these over ocean with no land lease costs, but moving giant ships solves the issue of thethering them.
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 5 days ago
Meanwhile in the US, rich assholes are firmly convinced coal and oil are the future.
God I hate this place.
jellygoose@lemmy.ca 5 days ago
It’s late stage capitalism.
These fools are just hoarding what they have and trying to continue the « golden age ».
China will be the next superpower for sure
tetris11@feddit.uk 5 days ago
To be fair, coal and oil are narratives are being pushed by foreign actors too on the US. China knows exactly how to win a race, and step 1 is to tie your opponents shoe laces.