World's largest airborne wind power kite departs for Inner Mongolia for flight test

A 5,000-square-meter airborne wind power kite, the world's largest core component of a high-altitude wind power generation system, officially departed from Beijing on Friday for testing in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The shipment of the key component of the very system to the test site signifies the commencement of field flight tests for China's first national-level key research and development program for high-altitude or airborne wind power generation.

The high-altitude wind power generation system comprises three main components which are an airborne unit, a tethering cable and a ground-based unit. The airborne wind power kite delivered for testing this time is the core part of the airborne unit. The flexible cover of the kite spans an expansive area of 5,000 square meters which is equivalent to 12 standard basketball courts.

"Compared with regular land-based wind power generation facilities, the high-altitude wind power generation system can save up to 95 percent of land use, reduce steel consumption by 90 percent and lower the cost per kilowatt-hour by 30 percent. And at the same time, the high-altitude wind power generation system is able to connect multiple flying units, which is of great advantage to large-scale application and commercialization," said Luo Bixiong, principal researcher at Energy China.

High-altitude wind power is often described as the "uncharted territory" in the field of new energy with its features of high speed, stable direction and high energy density. In recent years, with advances in material, aerostat and lightweight motor system technologies, the high-altitude wind power generation technology is gaining momentum as a sustainable and renewable solution for global energy transition.

China, one of the world's richest countries in high-altitude wind resources, has developed a series of independent intellectual property rights in this field, which could realize its self-reliance in the entire industrial chain for technology and equipment.

"This test marks China's progress in high-altitude wind power generation from kilowatt-scale to megawatt-scale, and from capturing wind at 1,000 meters to 3,000 meters, or even 5,000 meters. In the future, it will be highly possible to drive the development of such industries as aviation, energy and environmental protection," Luo said.

The kite will be transported to Inner Mongolia's Alxa Left Banner where the on-site flight tests will officially begin.

World's largest airborne wind power kite departs for Inner Mongolia for flight test

The U.S. claim to take control of Greenland is unacceptable and it aims to sow division within its NATO members and its natural allies in Europe to serve its own interests, said a Spanish expert.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Spanish international relations expert Javier Porras Belarra said he could not understand the U.S. position on Greenland and found the related remarks unacceptable.

"From our point of view, these U.S. statements are equivalent to an infringement on European territory, because we must remember that Greenland belongs to Denmark. That means we are facing a conflict, or at least a potential conflict, taking place on European soil, and even more broadly, between NATO member states. So U.S. President Donald Trump's claims regarding Greenland were nearly impossible to justify or accept, and the European Union is viewing this with a certain amount of astonishment, because this kind of claim from the U.S. is inconceivable," he said.

The expert said the U.S. administration has been intensifying divisions within NATO through its policies and rhetoric, while weakening ties with traditional European allies.

According to the expert, the U.S. administration is trying to undermine European unity to advance its own interests.

"The U.S. administration is deepening divisions within NATO and eroding relationships with its traditional allies, namely European countries. This is a classic 'divide and conquer' strategy. They think this will work in their favor and believe a united Europe is not in the U.S. interests, or at least not in the interests of the current administration," he said.

U.S. claim to control Greenland creates division within European allies for its own interests: expert