The Laddermill: Innovative Wind Energy from High Altitudes in Holland and Australia

The Laddermill is a novel concept to harvest electricity from high altitude winds. The concept's operating principle is to drive an electric generator using tethered kites. Several kites are deployed to altitudes of more than 1 km by means of a single cable that is connected to a drum on the groundstation. The upper portion of the cable is connected to the high altitude kites, whereas the lower portion of the cable remains wound around the drum. The kites are controlled to pull the cable from the drum, which in turn drives a generator.

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