this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2025
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"High-altitude winds between 1,640 and 3,281 feet (500 and 10,000 meters) above the ground are stronger and steadier than surface winds. These winds are abundant, widely available, and carbon-free.

"The physics of wind power makes this resource extremely valuable. “When wind speed doubles, the energy it carries increases eightfold, triple the speed, and you have 27 times the energy,” explained Gong Zeqi "

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[–] BombOmOm@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (4 children)

With a traditional wind turbine, if the wind speeds get too high, the turbine locks the rotation and feathers the blades. For the airship however, people will have to manually take it down and later erect it again. Hopefully they get to it in time, otherwise it's going to violently take itself down and/or fly off. Either way, that is a bunch of extra cost incurred on a regular basis.

Strikes me as an impractical solution.

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[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That looks like a giant...

[–] witty_username@feddit.nl 4 points 5 days ago

Austin Powers sketch

Wow. I hope this tech works out practically.

[–] Steve@startrek.website 2 points 5 days ago
[–] elucubra@sopuli.xyz 2 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Is that thing going to be able to float itself and support the weight of the cables at the altitudes they talk about?

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 3 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Tether to the ground limits X-axis. Buoyancy limits Y-axis. Draw a circle around the sine of ground-to-windmill hypotenuse and you immediately know the max constraints of where the windmill will be

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[–] OrteilGenou@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (5 children)

I assume they have designed these in a way that doesn't adversely impact migratory birds

[–] MadPsyentist@lemmy.nz 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

They'll hire Anna Paquin, she'll sort something out.

[–] krooklochurm@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 days ago

And her cousin, Anna penguin, the avian consultant.

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[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 2 points 5 days ago

That is really cool!

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