High-Altitude Wind Turbine Aircraft for Consistent Power Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wind turbines installed near the Earth's surface face challenges such as inconsistent and unpredictable wind speeds, visual and noise pollution, wildlife hazards, and high costs, while failing to capture stronger and more consistent winds at higher altitudes.
Innovation Solution
A multifunctional wind farm aircraft system equipped with lightweight, durable rotor wings and onboard wind turbines that convert high-altitude wind energy into electricity, storing it in batteries for later use on the ground, offering a reliable, efficient, and environmentally friendly alternative.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wind turbines are installed near earth's surface, then they can generate electricity using available wind resources, but the wind speed is inconsistent and unpredictable resulting in unreliable electricity generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves wind turbine operation from the ground level (2D surface) to the third dimension of high altitude airspace. By deploying aircraft equipped with wind turbines to operate at high altitudes (above 10,000 feet), the system accesses stronger and more consistent wind resources that are unavailable at ground level, thereby improving electricity generation reliability.
2Use of energy by moving object
If conventional wind turbines are installed near earth's surface, then they can capture wind energy, but they create visual and noise pollution affecting communities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wind energy capture function from ground-based fixed installations and relocates it to mobile aircraft operating in the airspace. This removes the visual and noise pollution from communities while maintaining the wind energy capture capability, as the aircraft operate remotely at high altitudes away from populated areas.
3Power
If conventional wind turbines are installed near earth's surface, then they can generate electricity, but they pose risks to wildlife particularly birds and bats
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes wind turbines from ground-based locations where they intersect with wildlife migration paths and habitats. By relocating operation to high-altitude aircraft, the system generates electricity without creating physical barriers or collision risks for birds and bats that use lower altitudes for migration and foraging.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional wind turbines are installed near earth's surface, then they can operate continuously, but they require significant land area which is challenging in densely populated areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from ground-based stationary turbines requiring extensive land area to aerial mobile turbines operating in three-dimensional airspace. This eliminates the land use conflict with densely populated areas while maintaining continuous operation capability, as aircraft can remain stationed at remote locations or move between wind resources without requiring large ground footprints.
5Power
If conventional wind turbines are installed near earth's surface, then they can generate electricity, but they are costly to install and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces static ground-based turbines with mobile dynamic systems using aircraft. This allows for flexible deployment, easier maintenance through aircraft mobility, and potential sharing of wind resources among multiple aircraft. The modular nature of aircraft-based systems may reduce installation costs compared to large-scale ground turbine farms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively harnesses and stores wind energy at high altitudes, providing a consistent electricity supply without noise or visual pollution, and allows for the use of batteries as a power source when returned to ground level, addressing the limitations of traditional wind turbines.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of wind turbines disposed on the housing and internally connected to an onboard electricity generating (i.e., generator) for capturing wind energy and converting into electricity
Implementation Method 2
converting wind energy and converting into electricity
Implementation Method 3
The onboard electricity generating, and storage system includes a plurality of batteries for storing electric energy
Implementation Method 4
a plurality of rotor wings positioned on the housing for helping and maintaining lift of the aircraft when hovering or maneuvering
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a high-altitude wind farm aircraft system. The aircraft has a plurality of wind turbines for capturing wind energy and converting same into electric energy which is stored in an onboard battery system. The electric energy, before storage, is stepped down by a transformer and converted into DC by an AC-DC converter. For use of the stored energy, the aircraft is brought to the ground and the batteries are removed to connect to a microgrid or any other electric circuit. The batteries can be installed again in the aircraft system for recharging with the aircraft going to high altitude for recharging the batteries. In one embodiment, the aircraft has an altitude indicator for indicating an appropriate altitude level for maximum efficiency of the system.