A kite, a reel and a console. These are the components of a
pioneering new method for generating energy. The research and development
project being carried out by Empa, the University of Applied Sciences Northwest
Switzerland, the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) and the
Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), combines the basic concept
of a kite with innovative technology. The aim: to make electricity from the
wind. That in itself is nothing new; electricity is already being produced by
wind turbines, yet these only reach heights of around 100 metres. With the
“Twing” from Empa, stronger and more regular wind currents at up to three
hundred metres are “tapped”. A key component of this is the Tensairity
structure, which is being studied and developed by Empa’s “Center for
Synergetic Structures”.