Magenn’s MARS wind turbines take first flight
By Susan Wilson
“Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Blimp? Actually, it’s a wind turbine. A wind turbine that looks like a tethered blimp and generates energy while it flies. Canadian company, Magenn, has just finished the first flight test for its new prototype wind turbine.
Magenn flew the Magenn Air Rotor System (or MARS) at its testing facility in North Carolina. The prototype was flown inside an old Navy airship hanger. Out door flight tests should occur in a few weeks.
The initial MARS units are expected to be 25 x 65 feet (7.6 x 19.8 meters) and generate 10 kW. Originally Magenn had plans to produce smaller versions of the MARS for residential use but those plans have been put on hold, while Magenn concentrates on creating even larger versions of the MARS capable of generating up to 2000kW of electricity.
The MARS is designed to fly between 300 – 1000 feet (90 to 300 meters) in the air. Tethering the turbine will be cables that will transmit electricity from the wind turbine to the ground. The special blades on the MARS body are designed to catch the wind and turn the turbine. By having a variable flying height, the MARS can gather winds from altitudes not available to normal tower wind turbines.
These systems can be put up quickly since no site preparation or towers are needed which makes the system perfect for hilly or mountainous areas. The MARS is also lightweight and easy to transport. The lack of prep work and the easy portability make the MARS a good fit with rural areas, especially mountainous rural areas.
Magenn expects to begin delivery of the MARS next year. The projected cost is between $3-$5 per watt for a 10-25 kW system. Not much, if any, of a savings over traditional wind turbine technology. Hopefully as the company smoothes out and cranks up production, the prices will begin to fall.
Either way, this is great new technology harnessing the power of nature without having to destroy it first.
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Entry was posted
on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
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Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
Stumble It!
May 7th, 2008
What happens when / if the wind dies down , even for a few moments?
Then down will come MARS, windmill & all
May 10th, 2008
If the wind dies down, it will stay aloft and quit rotating.
The beauty of this is that at 1000 feet, the windspeed is always higher than at 100 ft.
Thus, vast regions of the country who simply don’t have enough ground wind to make a turbine viable will now have that limitation removed.