Shell and Alphabet to build flying power plant

News has just come in about plans to build a power station with wind generators in Norway. The project will be implemented by Shell and Makani, a subsidiary of Alphabet. Construction will be completed within two years. \n

The main problem with wind turbines is the low average average wind speed on Earth, which means that very little energy can be generated. Lifting the generators into the air is a brilliant idea, because there will be no lack of resources at high altitudes. This will greatly increase the efficiency of resource extraction.

The project will use Makani wind turbines, which have a wingspan of 25,9 metres. They will be lifted 305 metres off the ground and will be equipped with 8 generators. Cables will be used to attach generators to floaters that will transmit energy back to land. The machine’s got 600-1000 kW of power.

A similar device was first tested in 2014, in the United States. The total project cost was $1.3 million. The main advantage of flying power stations over regular ones is the lack of noise pollution. Wind generators are typically built far outside city limits because of the noise they make. But if they’re high up in the sky, they can’t bother anyone.