Due: Tuesday before 8:30 a.m.
1. Watch the TED Talk video on High-Altitude Wind Energy and take notes.
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/saul_griffith_on_kites_as_the_future_of_renewable_energy
2. Answer the following questions in paragraph form (350-400 words) by typing your response in the comments section below.
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a) Do you think Saul Griffith’s idea will be successful or not? What are the positive and negative aspects? Explain.
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b) Does your country make use of renewable energy? Give examples.
You will be marked on the quality of your response and your response to others:
9-10: Excellent and insightful; response shows superb understanding and critical analysis; contains great details and responds to complex ideas
7-8: Good; response shows thoughtful understanding; contains good details and responds to ideas
5-6: Satisfactory; response shows a basic understanding; contains basic details and responds only to major ideas
3-4: Unsatisfactory; response shows some misunderstanding; contains insufficient details and does not fully respond to the main ideas
1-2: Poor; response shows poor understanding; contains no details and does not respond to the task
EAP 300 
a) I think his idea will not be successful, but it is a brilliant idea. The main reason that I don’t think his idea will succeed is because kites can’t withstand changes in climate and temperature. In addition, think of the great technology and huge money it would take to make it. It costs at least $1 million to build a normal passenger plane, so the cost would be enormous considering the durability and the fact that it would carry a generator. This is not a good idea when you consider cost-effectiveness. The ones just mentioned are the negative aspects. On the flip side, if this were possible, it would be like a child’s dream come true. It is wonderful to think about creating energy from a perspective that no one else would think of. If this were to happen, we would be able to generate electricity without relying on fossil fuels, which would be good for the environment. Moreover, It’s also great that we can create enormous amounts of energy without the risk of nuclear power.
b) In Japan, renewable energy sources such as solar power generation, wind power generation, hydroelectric power generation, geothermal power generation, and biomass power generation are available. These energy sources are being focused on as measures against global warming and environmental issues. The Japanese government has introduced policies such as the FIT system (Feed-in Tariff system) and the Renewable Energy Special Measures Law to promote the introduction of renewable energy. In 2020, Japan’s share of electricity generated from renewable energy sources will be approximately 19.8%. This is a relatively low level when compared to other major countries. For example, in Canada, the percentage of electricity generated from renewable energy sources is 67.9%, and in China, where the same percentage is lower than in Europe and the United States, it is 27.7%. In China, for example, the ratio is 27.7%.
Solar power accounts for about 10% of this total, followed by wind power, but Japan still needs to increase the share of renewable energy sources. We should make the world a better place by taking care of various environmental issues.
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Thank you for sharing your opinion. I agree with your opinion. His idea is very brilliant, but I think so too that kites can’t cope with climate change as you mention. However, it is a very interesting challenge to make a child’s dream come true.
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a) Do you think Saul Griffith’s idea will be successful or not? What are the positive and negative aspects? Explain.
I think his idea may be successful, because he mentioned history. Actually, Prior to World War Ⅱ, they were making 1000 planes a year. By 1945, they were making 100,000, so I think that people somehow made the impossible possible by being pushed into a corner. However, this story was originally a matter of machines being able to produce and manufacture time, and Saul Griffith’s idea is different. It is challenging to fly a kite for a long time. So, if global warming continues as it is , it may become possible, but it cannot be said to be successful. I think the positive aspect is, if this idea were to succeed, it would be able to efficiently regenerate energy in an environmentally friendly way. On the other hand, the negative aspect is I think there is a risk of having an accident. I wonder how they would handle the weather if they did not attach a machine to a large object flying in the sky, and even if they did it in an empty space, if it could not hold up to a typhoon or strong winds and fell, it would cause harm to humans.
b) Does your country make use of renewable energy? Give examples.
In my country Japan has a lot of renewable energy. For example, solar, hydro, geothermal, biomass and wind power are increasing every year. However, compared the world, Japan’s renewable energy is still immature. Because the renewable energy market is not developed, the cost of production is high due to low equipment demand and production. Another problem is the lack of stable electricity supply due to Japan’s geography and weather conditions. Therefore, I think the issue is how do we deal with Japan’s climate, small size, and use of renewable energy.
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Thank you for sharing your ideas. I totally agree with your negative aspect in this video. Even if energy could be created, it would not be a good idea if it caused damage to humans as you mentioned. The most important thing of creating something new is to be safe.
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Thank you for sharing your ideas.
I agree with the concern you mentioned; if it could not hold up to a typhoon or strong winds and fell, it would cause harm to humans. This challenge seems obvious, and I believe there are still many challenges to address in this power generation technology, such as system stability.
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a) I believe that Saul Griffith’s ideas will have a chance of success in the future. There are two positive reasons. Firstly, he has already demonstrated the potential of using kites to generate renewable energy on Maui. It is possible to fly for long sustained periods of time, similar to the Wright brothers. If these kites could be attached to airplanes, he states, they would have the capacity to generate substantial amounts of energy. Secondly, there is a strong motivation for people to produce renewable energy to help stop the global problem of climate change, which is accelerating. Wind power is the second most renewable resource after solar power. The use of kites attached to airplanes is an idea that will serve us well in the future as it presents an opportunity to generate a significant amount of renewable energy in a relatively short span of time. The negative of this idea is that it must be handled with caution. These kites are large and heavy. In the event of an accidental fall from an airplane, there could be potential danger to people and buildings on the ground. Therefore, it is critical that rigorous safety measurements be conducted to ensure the success of this development.
b) In 2021, renewable energy sources in Japan accounted for 22.4% of all electricity generated in Japan. This results in an increase of approximately 2% compared to 2020. The most commonly used energy source is solar power. More and more houses are using solar panels. I often see more and more of them on many houses and surrounding hills in my city. But there is a problem installing this. It is difficult to continue to expand vast areas of space for solar panels. To cut down forests to install solar panels would also lead to the destruction of nature. Therefore, it is necessary to balance the use of various renewable resources that are appropriate for each location and environment. Instead of using fossil fuels, people are using this type of renewable energy and taking action to address the problem.
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Thank you for sharing your opinion and researching about electricity in Japan. Big issue of power resources are significant problem in Japan, but I hope we can make some progress and leave Japan for the future.
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a) Do you think Saul Griffith’s idea will be successful or not? What are the positive and negative aspects? Explain.
>Yes, I do. I would like to believe Saul Griffith’s idea will be successful. Because the audacious ideas of young people and engineers are ignored by adults, those audacious ideas have a chance to become commonplace technology in 10 or 20 years at any time. I suppose the positive aspects are kites’ clean energy can help other energy consumption and there is the possibility to be installed on any home roof. On the other hand, the negative aspects are that kites’ power generation system cannot be installed in a city with the landmass and population density of Japan and also it can’t install that because it could cause confusion in areas where there are a lot of typhoons and storms.
b) Does your country make use of renewable energy? Give examples.
>Yes, it does. For example in Japan, livestock dropping which is difficult to convert into fertilizer has been reused as biomass energy in Shihoro Town, Hokkaido since around 2010. And also Kamisu City in Ibaraki Prefecture has also begun operating a biomass power plant fueled by Palm Kernel Shell from around 2023 too. Thus, Japan is making steady through incremental progress in light of the disasters at Tohoku.
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Thank you sharing your opinion. I agree and am interested in your opinion of having a kite in each home. Indeed, I think that attaching a kite to each home would make power generation easier, more accessible, and less expensive. However, as you also said, there are still many areas that can be improved. Hopefully this approach will work in the future.
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a) Do you think Saul Griffith’s idea will be successful or not? What are the positive and negative aspects? Explain.
I think his idea will succeed. In this video he talks about the possibility of using kites to generate wind power. They have already developed wind power using kites and have already succeeded in generating 10kW of electricity. Typically, the turbines used for wind power generation are about 300 feet high. The higher the altitude, the stronger the wind power. However, at present it is not possible to reach that height. In other words, his idea is still unrealistic. If his idea succeeds, it would be very beneficial in reducing carbon dioxide emissions by allowing the use of electricity generated by wind power. Therefore, I hope that his idea will become a reality.
b) Does your country make use of renewable energy? Give examples.
Japan is pursuing many renewable energy sources. The reason for this is the nuclear power plant explosion caused by a major earthquake in the past. Solar energy also accounts for the largest share of renewable energy in Japan, followed by hydropower and biomass. Solar energy plays an important role in renewable energy in Japan. Recently, solar panels have been installed in each household to use electricity from sunlight to power the home, and it has become quite popular. I wish for more evolution of environmentally friendly renewable energy.
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a) Be honest, I don’t believe Saul Griffith’s idea can be successful in the future. Speak in the positive way, I agree it not only can make a lot of energy for electricity but also easy to understand. It is definitely an environmentally friendly product and won’t make any pollution to the Earth. He knows what he is doing right now. However, consider about the reality. We still don’t know how much does the kite cost. Does it firm enough to resist the intense wind high up to 30 feet? Furthermore, how many wide fields could let the kites fly. As Saul mentioned, he flies a kite for more than 1,000 hours in order to provide electricity for 5 American family. In my case, it is very useful in America because they have a broad territory with less residents. What about Asian countries? I think fossil fuels are still in primary.
b) In Taiwan, we had already built the wind power plant since 2000. Most of the wind power plant are located in the west coastline because Taiwan has strong sea breeze there. According to the survey, Taiwan has 384 wind power plant so far. On the other hand, our government also promoted the solar energy in 2000. We have average 1,800 hours sunshine per year help us develop the solar panel. Solar energy is more than 44.8% among the renewable energy in Taiwan. Even though Taiwan has many renewable energy, we still rely on fossil fuels due to the overpopulation. Our government plans we will have 20% renewable energy in 2025!
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Thank you for sharing your opinion. I agree with you. I also thought it wasn’t practical to use it. Creating it costs money, and as you said, it might be possible in countries with lots of land, but I think it’s impractical especially in urban areas like Tokyo, let alone in Japan.
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a) I think his idea will not be successful. Because, there are some negative aspects. Firstly, I think it will be expensive to create. If it is a little bigger than a piano, like the kite in the video, it would not cost much to make. However, the futuristic vision he showed was much larger than what I had imagined and would cost a lot to create. Furthermore, there is a risk of accidents. In general wind power generation, since the wind turbine is fixed to the ground, there is no danger of it falling over. However, if it is flying freely in the sky, there is a risk that it may fall and cause an accident. On the other hand, there is a positive aspect. His idea’s positive aspect is to generate enormous amounts of electricity. As he mentioned in the video, a wing like a kite can sweep through more sky and generate more power than a windmill. If this happens, it would be possible to generate two times more energy in the same amount of time than what has been produced through wind power so far. It can make a significant contribution to the reduction of carbon dioxide, the cause of climate change.
b) In Japan, renewable energy is used in many places. For example, in Hiroshima, the municipality has begun car-sharing electric vehicles for local residents since 2022. These electric vehicles are not connected to any external power source and are charged using only electricity generated by solar power. This means that 100% of the electricity used is provided by renewable energy sources. In addition, Osaka has a place called Sustainable Smart Town. All of the town’s electricity comes from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. There are some plans to do the same thing in other communities in Japan.
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Thank for sharing your opinion. I agree electric car will be a trend in the near future. As a Taiwanese, I am glad to know that Japan is working on using renewable energy in many parts. Our country needs to do something in order to decrease consumption and protect our environment.
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Thank you for sharing your opinion. I agree with you. I think Saul Griffith’s idea will not be successful, too. And I was interested in your opinion that there is a risk of accidents. In general wind power generation, there is no danger of tipping over because the wind turbine is fixed to the ground. However, if it flies freely in the sky, there is a risk of falling and causing an accident.
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a) Do you think Saul Griffith’s idea will be successful or not? What are the positive and negative aspects? Explain.
I think Saul Griffith’s idea will not be successful. Although according to the film, he tells us that kites are not just toys for children, kite has the magnificent future. And kites have a history of more than a thousand years, and in China, the Chinese used kites for military purposes and even for flying, and in that era, the Chinese knew that kites could bear very heavy weights. In 1827 England, George Pocock pioneered the use of kites to haul four-wheeled vehicles and horse-drawn carriages in rural areas of England. In 1899, the Wright brothers built a 1.5-meter-wide, kite-like biplane glider and flew it like a kite. In this historic scene, humans used power to leave the earth’s surface and experience the first 12-second flight. But none of this is enough to prove that his new invention will be successful, because I don’t think there is enough technology to build such a huge machine, they’re working towards megawatt-scale machines, that fly at 2000 feet generate tons of clean electricity. The positive side of this experiment is that, if successful, it will benefit people all over the world, and more renewable resources can be used. However, the negative side is that it will take a lot of resources to build such a large machine, not only will it increase the likelihood of many global warming, but it will also cost a lot of money to build the machine, and we don’t know exactly how much money and materials will be spent.
b) Does your country make use of renewable energy? Give examples.
Nowadays in Taiwan, We use renewable energy in many places. For example, we have biogas, hydro energy, solar power, wind energy, and geothermal energy. Since 2000, Taiwan has been promoting solar photovoltaics, and the average annual sunshine in Taiwan is close to 1,800 hours, and the development conditions are good. The government aims to install 20GW of solar PV capacity by 2025, including 8GW of rooftop PV and 12GW of ground-based PV including water area. Since 20000, Taiwan already built the wind power plant .The end of 2021, Taiwan’s cumulative wind power generation capacity was 1,033.37MW, and the wind power generation capacity in 2021 was 2,242GWh.
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Thank you for sharing your opinion. I hope Saul Griffith’s idea will succeed, but I generally agree with you. There isn’t enough technology to built, and he didn’t mention the cost. I think It seems expensive to built. Therefore, It will be necessary to further improve before it will be used.
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I think his idea will be successful because he has already proved that 10 kW of power were generated by a kite. If this idea becomes standard, it can create energy more efficiently than wind energy because kites can reach higher altitudes where is more windy and more power. However, I have concern about the stability. When I was a child, sometimes I played with a kite, if the wind stopped, the kite would immediately drop, and sometimes the thread would break and the kite to fly away. If a similar situation occurs with his product, it could lead to serious accidents. Therefore, his idea needs further improvement, but I hope this concept becomes common.
Our country, japan, is trying to shift renewable energy instead of nuclear energy. Before massive earthquake in Fukushima, majority of energy relied on nuclear energy and fossil fuel. Moreover, as our country doesn’t have energy resource, when nuclear energy stop, we must depend on imported energy resource. To address this issue, we try to use renewable energy to create self sufficient. The solar, wind, geothermal and hydro energy are increasing year by year. In 2021, generation by renewable energy increased by 10.3% compare to 2014. I hope using non-renewable energy will further reduce in the future.
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Thank you for sharing your idea. As you mentioned, the nuclear power plant collapsed due to a large earthquake, and it has had a huge impact on our lives. When we rely on one resource, like nuclear power, we don’t know what to do when it suddenly stops working. Of course we need to replace it with renewable energy, but we must also generate energy from various sources to maintain a stable supply.
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a)
I believe that high-altitude wind energy using kites has the potential for success. In the videos, you can see that models have been created, a free-flying wing can sweep through more sky and generate more power, and there is data showing the electricity which is enough to power probably five U.S. households. If continued development, achieve a consistent power seems possible. However, it may not be as effective as current wind power, and there are also some technical barriers to overcome, such as reaching heights of 300 feet. If it works out in the future, it might be more like a helper to normal wind power.
b)
Yes, Taiwan has developed a lot of renewable energies such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal. Solar energy currently is the highest proportion of renewable energy generation in Taiwan, surpassing other forms of power generation. Taiwan invests in solar power, placing panels on rooftops, farms and water surfaces. Government promotes solar energy in the residential and industrial sectors. In addition, Taiwan invests in the onshore and offshore wind power, establishes offshore wind farms along coastlines to capture strong winds. As of the latest statistics, Taiwan’s wind power capacity exceeds several gigawatts, and the government has set goals to further expand offshore wind capacity.
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a) Although his suggestion is creative and innovative, I don’t think that it will be successful. Kite used to be just a children’s toy, therefore his idea to generate wind energy from Kites seems very attractive. However, we should focus on the negative aspects. It is the positive point that wind powers are sustainable in the future and we don’t need to rely on fossil fuels so much. According to Saul Griffith, winds have potential to have incredible power that will break the world speed record. However, it is unreliable because the amount of power generation changed according to wind speed and weather. Generating wind power from kite rely on the stability of wind. In addition, this system might affect living things. What he invented is not just kites for children but the kites with power generation, so his invention may include some devices for generating power. If birds get caught in kites, they might die. While it is great to develop more sustainable ways of generating electricity for the future of the planet, we also have to think about living things. Therefore, I can’t say his idea will be successful.
b)The Japanese government has introduced various policies and regulations to promote the use of renewable energy. On the other hand, main source of energy in Japan is fossil fuels and it accounts for about 80 percent. In particular, geothermal power generation using fossil fuels such as oils, coals, and natural gas is the main resource of electricity supply. However, thanks to government policies for introducing renewable energy, they have been increasingly used in Japan in recent years. In particular, solar power generation is spreading rapidly. Each region has set its own goals for the introduction of renewable energy and support measures have been implemented, but the country still remains depending on fossil fuels.
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Thank you for sharing your opinion. I absolutely agree with you. Although his idea is so impressive if realized, it’s not easy develop this system. Kite for generating wind power needs large area, regular maintainance, strong materials and huge badgets. His idea is atractive and ideal, but it’s not realistic.
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