Abstract
Renewable energy for Mars habitats is of key interest for future crewed missions. However, the low solar irradiation and low atmospheric pressure on Mars pose serious challenges to exploiting these resources reliably. In this chapter, we investigate the technical feasibility of a soft-kite-based airborne wind energy system and its potential to power a subsurface Mars habitat in combination with photovoltaics and short-term electrical storage. We propose a soft kite for its high surface-to-mass ratio, compact packing volume, adaptability to the available wind resource, and, thus, high capacity factor. First, the siting of the habitat is outlined, and the wind resources are quantified in terms of the wind speed probability distribution at the operational height of the system for different seasonal periods. Then, a performance model for the pumping cycle operation is developed to compute the power curve of the airborne wind energy system. Combining this with the wind statistics, a process for predicting the electricity yield at the habitat location is developed, which is then used to size all components of the hybrid power system to meet the continuous electrical power demand of 10 kW of the envisioned habitat.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Adaptive On- and Off-Earth Environments |
Editors | Angelo Cervone, Henriette Bier, Advenit Makaya |
Place of Publication | Cham |
Publisher | Springer |
Chapter | 7 |
Pages | 145-197 |
Number of pages | 53 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 978-3-031-50081-7 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-3-031-50080-0 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Publication series
Name | Springer Series in Adaptive Environments |
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Publisher | Springer |
ISSN (Print) | 2522-5529 |
ISSN (Electronic) | 2522-5537 |
Bibliographical note
Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-careOtherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.