Systems and methods for tethered wind turbines
First Claim
1. A system, comprising:
- an airborne body extending horizontally along an axis betweena first point anda second point, wherein the body is at least partially filled with a gas;
two or more vanes airborne with the body such that the vanes, when acted upon bya wind force perpendicular to the axis, are operable to cause rotation about the axis, each vane comprising a horizontal blade panel attached to and extending along the body;
one or more tethers coupled to anchor the body to a third point; and
one or more electrical generators airborne with the body to convert rotational energy produced by the rotation about the axis into electrical energy,wherein the blade panel is attached to the body along a first horizontal edge andwherein the blade panel is detachably attached to the body along the first horizontal edge.
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Accused Products
Abstract
According to some embodiments, an airborne body extends horizontally along an axis between a first point and a second point. The body may be, for example, at least partially filled with a gas. Two or more vanes may be provided airborne with the body such that the vanes, when acted upon by a wind force perpendicular to the axis, are operable to cause rotation about the axis. Moreover, one or more tethers may be coupled to anchor the body to a third point, and one or more electrical generators may be airborne with the body to convert rotational energy produced by the rotation about the axis into electrical energy. According to some embodiments, each vane comprises a horizontal blade panel attached to and extending along the body.
79 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system, comprising:
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an airborne body extending horizontally along an axis between a first point and a second point, wherein the body is at least partially filled with a gas; two or more vanes airborne with the body such that the vanes, when acted upon by a wind force perpendicular to the axis, are operable to cause rotation about the axis, each vane comprising a horizontal blade panel attached to and extending along the body; one or more tethers coupled to anchor the body to a third point; and one or more electrical generators airborne with the body to convert rotational energy produced by the rotation about the axis into electrical energy, wherein the blade panel is attached to the body along a first horizontal edge and wherein the blade panel is detachably attached to the body along the first horizontal edge. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification