Laddermill

<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>In a 2007 "road map" report on renewable energy adopted by the <a href="/facts/European_Parliament/H9WLUd1r">European Parliament</a>, laddermill technology was listed among various "promising and challenging" new energy sources into which revenue from <a href="/facts/Emissions_trading/8fLLLdAL">emissions trading</a> could be reinvested.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a>
</p>
<h2 id="operating-modes">Operating modes</h2>
<p>There are currently two operating modes considered:
</p>
<ul><li>The kites pull up the long string on which they are tethered, and the resulting energy is then used to drive an electric generator. When the end of the string is reached the pull force of the kites is reduced by changing the <a href="/facts/Angle_of_attack/v5NkMgqu">angle of attack</a> of the kites "wing shape", and the string is then rewound with the electric generator acting as a motor, or by other means. If the string is reduced to its minimum length the next energy generating cycle is started by restoring the angle of attack of the kites to maximum lift.</li>
<li>Kites on one side of a wire loop generate lift while the ones on the other side do not because the angle of attack of the kites "wing shape" changes when the kite passes the top of the loop. So the kites pull up only one end of an endless loop, causing the loop to start to rotate, and the resulting released energy is then used to drive an electric generator.</li></ul>
<h2 id="design">Design</h2>
<p>A "rotating loop" "LadderMill" project was designed and developed by the Dutch ex-<a href="/facts/Astronaut/HB1bd6Lz">astronaut</a> and <a href="/facts/Physicist/cQcgvSIm">physicist</a> <a href="/facts/Wubbo_Ockels/QS3lELcT">Wubbo Ockels</a>.
As quoted from his website:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a>
</p>
<blockquote><p>The LadderMill is the response to the challenge for exploiting the gigantic energy source contained in the airspace up to high altitudes of 10 km. The concept has been developed with the aim to convert wind energy at altitude in electricity on the ground in an environmental and cost effective manner.</p></blockquote>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.ockels.nl/">The laddermill website of Wubbo Ockels.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100209105025/http://www.lr.tudelft.nl/live/pagina.jsp?id=8d16d19a-e942-45aa-9b52-48deb9312e92&lang=en">Website</a> of the <a href="/facts/Delft_University_of_Technology/wtPV7UmG">Delft University of Technology</a> explaining the principle of the LadderMill project.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.actapress.com/PaperInfo.aspx?PaperID=31466">paper</a> "Design and Construction of a 4 kW Groundstation for the Laddermill".</li>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/aug/03/renewableenergy.energy">Giant kites to tap power of the high wind</a> Alok Jha, The Guardian, Sunday August 3, 2008</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>"Renewables: Parliament wants binding sectoral targets". EURACTIV.com. 26 September 2007. <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/renewables-parliament-wants-binding-sectoral-targets/" target="_blank">https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/renewables-parliament-wants-binding-sectoral-targets/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>"Wubbo Ockels". www.ockels.nl. <a href="http://www.ockels.nl/" target="_blank">http://www.ockels.nl/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Laddermill open-in-new

Laddermill