Perhaps one of the more unusual ways to turn wind power into electricity, Dutch scientists have found a way to generate electricity by flying a kite! At first glance this idea sounds really strange. Why fly a kite to harness wind energy when you could build a more conventional windmill?

The main reason is that the wind 1km or more above the earth’s surface carries about 100 times the amount of energy when compared to the wind at tower height, at least in countries near the jet stream. The trick will be finding a way to make this into a reliable system that can be installed and operated economically.

[Via EcoGeek]