Exploit Wind Not Coal

Do we really need coal electricity? Two Stanford researchers seem to think not. Apparently the winds are blowing, like, all the time, and modern turbines can capture that energy and turn it into electricity.

Whoa.

We'd only need about 200 square kilometers, maybe off in the ocean or South Dakota where the winds blow steady and strong.

And these turbines don't even kill (many) birds. They've got about a 77 meter radius, and rotate slowly so they're easy for birds to avoid. For humans, they also make excellent golf course hazards.

These guys have another idea: tether drones flying at 4600m to the ground and collect energy from massive turbines on the glider wings. It's... just... crazy... enough to work.