Could flying wind farms be the future of energy generation in China?
The test of an ‘alien-looking’ giant airship in the skies above Sichuan created a buzz on social media
A giant airship launched in a densely populated area of southwestern China earlier this month has set social media on fire.
It climbed steadily for 30 minutes, reaching an altitude of 2,000 metres.
During this test, the system generated 385 kilowatt-hours of electricity – enough to charge around six mainstream electric vehicles or power an average urban household for a month, the operators said. However, it has a stated maximum capacity of three megawatts.
It also caused minimal disturbance on the ground with an operational volume of just 60 decibels.
While land-based and offshore wind power is used extensively, high-altitude wind energy remains a largely untapped source of power.