China Successfully Tests World's Largest 5,000-Square-Meter Power-Generating Kite
- MM24 News Desk
- 12 hours ago
- 3 min read
China's first national R&D project equipment for high-altitude wind energy—the world's largest 5,000-square-meter power-generating kite—successfully completed all scheduled flight tests in Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia on Wednesday, according to China Media Group (CMG).
Developed by China Energy Engineering Corp, the kite harnesses wind energy at altitudes above 300 meters and successfully deployed alongside two 1,200-square-meter kites, marking a breakthrough in ground-based high-altitude wind power technology.
China's first key national R&D project equipment for high-altitude wind energy—the world's largest 5,000-square-meter power-generating kite—successfully completed all scheduled flight tests in Alxa Left Banner, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on Wednesday, according to China Media Group (CMG).
The China-made kite, developed under a national program led by China Energy Engineering Corp, achieved full in-air deployment and retraction during testing, marking a solid step toward the engineering application of high-altitude wind power technology in China, CMG reported.
Resembling a giant kite, the power-generating kite can harness wind energy at altitudes above 300 meters and transmit it to the ground through a tether cable that drives a generator to produce electricity. The latest test successfully carried out both the deployment and retraction of a 5,000-square-meter kite and two 1,200-square-meter kites, according to CMG.
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High-altitude wind energy, often described as an untapped "no-man's land" of renewable power, offers significant potential thanks to its higher wind speeds, stable directions, and greater energy density. Two main technological paths are being explored globally—airborne and ground-based systems. In the airborne approach, lightweight wind turbines are mounted on flying platforms to generate electricity in the sky, CMG reported.
The recent test focused on the ground-based model, in which a working canopy deployed at high altitude captures wind energy to drive a ground-based generator. This approach offers several advantages over traditional wind turbines and even airborne systems, including simpler mechanical design and reduced weight requirements.
The scale of China's achievement becomes clear when considering the kite's dimensions. At 5,000 square meters, the power-generating canopy covers an area roughly equivalent to half a soccer field suspended hundreds of meters in the air.
Managing such enormous fabric structures in high-altitude winds requires sophisticated engineering for both deployment and controlled retraction.
Traditional ground-based wind turbines face limitations in accessing the stronger, more consistent winds found at higher altitudes. Most commercial wind turbines operate at heights between 80 to 150 meters, where wind speeds and consistency are lower than at elevations above 300 meters. High-altitude wind energy systems like China's power-generating kite aim to tap into this previously inaccessible resource.
The tether cable serves dual purposes: providing the physical connection that keeps the kite positioned in the wind stream while simultaneously transmitting mechanical energy to ground-based generators. As wind pushes against the massive canopy, tension in the tether cable increases, which can be converted directly into rotational motion to drive electricity generation.
The successful deployment and retraction cycle represents a critical technical milestone. High-altitude kites must be able to launch in relatively calm ground-level conditions, climb to operational altitude, maintain stable flight during power generation, and then safely return to ground level for maintenance or during adverse weather. Automating these processes reliably is essential for practical commercial deployment.
China's investment in high-altitude wind energy reflects broader efforts to diversify renewable energy sources beyond conventional solar panels and wind turbines. The country already leads global wind power capacity but faces challenges finding suitable locations for traditional wind farms near population centers requiring electricity.
High-altitude wind energy systems could potentially be deployed in locations where ground-level winds are insufficient for traditional turbines but where upper-atmosphere winds remain strong and consistent. This could include inland areas far from coastal wind resources and regions where terrain makes conventional wind farm construction impractical.
The technology also addresses intermittency challenges facing solar and conventional wind power. High-altitude winds tend to be more consistent than ground-level winds, potentially providing more stable power generation profiles. Combined with energy storage systems, this could help smooth renewable energy supply to match demand patterns.
Whether China's power-generating kite system can transition from successful testing to commercial deployment depends on numerous factors including cost-effectiveness, operational reliability, maintenance requirements, and regulatory approvals. But the successful completion of flight tests with the world's largest such system demonstrates that the fundamental technology works at scale.