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You mention what you call the Italian answer to peak oil, the high altitude wind power concept "kitegen".
I have been following this idea very closely for a long time now, and I'm convinced that it is one of the most promising renewable energy ideas around.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get any up-to-date information about their project status. Their "new" website http://www.kitegen.com doesn't give any hint as to where they stand. My understanding is that they have huge problems in finding (venture) capital and are therefore stuck with very small scale test prototypes, far away from the vertical axis generator they are aiming for. It seems that years ago they won a huge Italian government award for developing the concept, but have never received any money from that (probably the quick succession of new governments in Italy didn't help very much ...).
At the ASPO-Italy conference, was there any new information about where the kitegen project now stands? Is there any new development in this project which you could share with us?
Thanks!
I agree: the kitegen idea is very, very promising. In Torino, we had a presentation about the state of the project; they are moving on but - as usual - innovative ideas are very difficult; almost impossible; to fund. As far as I understand, they have succeeded in testing a prototype; a single kite that generates energy by going up and down. It has been successful, they are moving onwards. Incidentally, Massimo Ippolito, the mind behind the kitegen idea, is a longtime member of ASPO-Italy; so I hope that I'll be able to make a post on TOD with the updated situation of the kitegen. But there are so many things to do that I'd need first to clone myself a few times. So is life.
Thanks, Ugo. A TOD post on the kitegen would certainly be more than welcome. I think that this project can use (and merits) every kind of publicity possible.
The last news I have heard was that they want to build a version of their single-kite-prototype on top of a ship. But not to pull the ship, but to produce electricity. The point is that the small truck which they used before was too light and the kite risked pulling it off the ground ...
Even if I repeat myself: It is really a shame that such a promising, innovative idea cannot find any capital!
It's a shame that Google went with financing Makani rather than Kitegen.
The guys in Holland behind laddermill don't seem to be able to get the financing either - pathetic when you consider how desperately the power is needed, and how much cheaper it could be than wind-turbines.
I suppose that means that it is deeply unattractive to the power industry, as after all the more turnover they have in the industry, the better their position - the last thing they want if cheap, plentiful power.
Rather like the way that development on molten salt reactors was stopped - no good for weapons, would need very little uranium mining, and the fuel does not need processing into rods, a major source of income to the reactor builders, so no-one was interested.
The consumer gets shafted again.