Dutch study touts airborne wind energy as option for crewed Martian habitats
Innovative design may provide alternative to static solar panels
A study published today by a group of Dutch academics from the Delft University of Technology suggests that airborne wind energy may prove key to the question of electricity generation for crewed Martian habitats.
The group, headed by Professor Roland Schmehl, noted that major questions remain regarding the use of conventional wind turbines, due to uncertainty as to whether average wind speeds are sufficient to render them viable. Solar panels, already used by several Mars landers and rovers, will have an important contribution to make to the power output of any crewed outpost, though as successive missions have discovered, the slight electrostatic charge of dust particles on the surface means that Martian dust has a tendency to cling to surfaces - the efficiency of solar panels on the MER rovers as well as NASA’s InSight probe were severely degraded due to the gradual accumulation of dust. Other problems include the relatively high payload weight of solar panels, and the issue of how to generate electricity during the dust storms that darken Martian skies and reduce the efficacy of solar panels on the ground.
The study suggests the use of airborne wind energy (AWE) as a solution to these problems. Though not well-known, AWE is a technology with a lengthy pedigree, having first been demonstrated in the 1980s. The system works by using tethered kites to generate electricity, either by means of a turbine slung under the canopy, or by using the pull exerted on the tether by the kite itself. Prototypes already flown at TU Delft have met with considerable success.
The team conducted a design exercise in which they envisaged designing power solutions for a small Martina habitat. Alongside the tethered kite solution, solar photovoltaic power was designated as the secondary energy technology solution. The team advocated use of a recently developed experimental solar panel coating that has been shown in experiments to reduce the accumulation of dust on panels by over 90%.
The study, ‘Combined Airborne Wind and Photovoltaic Energy System for Martian Habitats’, is available on arXiv.