International renewable energy consultancy GL Garrad Hassan says a cottage industry of small entrepreneurs has grown up around HAWE, with a diverse array of systems at various stages of development and scale.

HAWE turbines are based around a flying tethered object that uses a mechanical system to harness kinetic energy from the wind anywhere from 200 metres to 20 km above the Earth.

The GL Garrad Hassan report identifies 22 companies that are developing prototypes including kites, kytoons (a kite-balloon hybrid), aerostats, and gliders or sailplanes with turbines or airfoils attached.

“In Europe and America, these developers are beginning to see an influx of investment from both private and governmental partners,” says the consultancy.

The resource at high-altitude is “very promising” as it offers significantly higher wind speeds and more consistent wind availability than found conventionally, say the report’s authors.

This is particularly true offshore, where the systems could overcome some of the considerable installation challenges posed to conventional wind turbines in deep water.

“HAWE systems have the potential to take energy generation from wind into a new dimension, unlocking resources with far greater potential energy than so far realised,” says GL Garrad Hassan.

The technical and regulatory challenges faced by the industry are also addressed in the report, called Fresh Winds at Great Heights: High Altitude Wind Energy.

Darius Snieckus, Bristol

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High-altitude wind sector taking off as '22 firms develop systems'