The Rotokite
The evaluation about the potentiality of wind generation at high altitude, we participated during the development of the project of Massimo Ippolito 'Kite Wind Generator' when we were members of the company Sequoia Automation, led us to develop the innovative idea of Rotokite based on the rotation of ultra-light profiles, registering a patent on behalf of the company Sequoia IT.
The great simplicity of the project, which uses known technology, makes us certain of the possibility of developing a wind generation system quickly and at low cost.
The lack of funding for innovative wind power by the European Community and Italian research funds has led us to participate in Google '10 ^ 100 ', with the aim of giving visibility to a too neglected resource, that of wind at high altitudes.
Firmly convinced that the wind is the renewable energy source that can have the most extensive and rapid development, with some friends we created the nonprofit association Xerces blue, which aims to promote scientific research, with particular attention to development of renewable energies. Xerces blue is the name of a small butterfly that had its habitat in the bay of San Francisco and has settled for the development of human settlements in the area. On the website www.xercesblue.org you can find documents related to the production of wind energy at high altitudes and projects of the association.
PRINCIPLES OF FUNCTIONING
The use of piloted kites to capture upper-level wind energy is the object of considerable research.
The proposed project, although it utilises ultra-light structures similar to kites, is extremely innovative with respect to technologies currently being researched since it exploits a new form of aerodynamic profile that rotates around its own axis.
Use of the principle of rotation radically simplifies the difficult problem of in-flight control of kites and eliminates the technical drawbacks related to the length of the tethering cable, permitting the production of wind power at very low cost.
Rotation of an ultra-light aerodynamic profile around its own axis imitates the action of a propeller and optimises capture of winds internal to the rotation area, thus generating propulsive force on the tether, which in turn activates the pulley mechanism of an earth-level generator.
During the traction phase, the aerodynamic profiles rotate and change their angle aspect, with the result that they create traction force on the cable connected to the generator as well as a carrying force that serves to keep the system aloft.
When the desired altitude is reached, the traction stage concludes and a recovery stage is initiated, whereby the profiles are closed and quickly brought down to the level of initial deployment.
In order to keep constant the energy production process, which is interrupted during the recovery procedure, two or three separate and independent units must be deployed, which will function alternatively.
The extreme lightness of the system makes possible use of a small weather balloon that would keep the system aloft in the absence of wind, thus minimising considerably its contact with the ground and allowing its utilisation on the high seas.
Conflict between upper-level wind generators and airplanes would be avoided since airplane use of GPS devices would pinpoint the wind generators in use.
Vibration monitoring
With the advent of MEMS (Micro Eletro-Mechanical Systems) technology, SEQUOIA IT was the first company to investigate applications in the vibration acquisition sector.
With the conviction that only the very greatest attention to component evolution and new technologies can help maintain the acquired technological leadership, the company dedicates much of its resources to research.
The medium-term objectives the company is working on involve increasing the spectrum of monitorable frequencies, further miniaturisation of instruments and the development of wireless communication system.
The most recent patents currently being industrialised include:
