Catching and bringing wind-power down to earth

Update: I have added links to additional information related to this post. The long-held dream of converting wind energy at high altitude into usable electricity on the ground is about to be realized. New Scientist's Phil McKenna writes about "flying windmills" capable of tapping jet stream wind currents to generate enormous amounts of reliable, renewable energy. Of the three technologies covered by Phil, the Air Rotor System developed by Magenn Power seems to be the one to watch for potential applications in Africa. An attractive feature of this technology is the ability to capture the energy available in the 600 to 1000-foot low level and nocturnal jet streams that exist almost everywhere. Such innovations should be of interest to any serious advocate of energy access for sustainable development in Africa and other developing regions. Why? Because expanding our energy options—rather than continuing to rely on one or two conventional approaches—is the key to solving our energy problems today for a better tomorrow. Watch the full length video of the Magenn system, and you will probably agree that bringing wind power down to earth is not as far-fetched or crazy as it might sound.