Buoyant Airborne Turbine to harness winds in Alaska
(Phys.org) —Call it a power-transmitter in the sky. Better still, call it by its official name, the Buoyant Airborne Turbine (BAT ) which a company called Altaeros Energies will be launching soon in Alaska to be used in an 18-month test. The $1.3 million BAT project is partially financed by the Alaska Energy Authority's Emerging Energy Technology Fund. The project is being permitted for a site south of Fairbanks. The launch could mark what the team sees as the next generation of wind power. This will be the first planned commercial demonstration of the product; last year, Altaeros tested a BAT prototype in 45 mph winds and at a height of 500 feet at its test site in Maine. The energy-giving BAT is to be deployed 1000 feet up above ground, designed to avoid impact on avian wildlife. BAT will be taking advantage of winds powerful enough to send back...