US Patent 8066225 Multi-tether cross-wind kite power

A multiple-tethered kite extracts power from wind. Systems having three or more tethers coupled to a single kite are contemplated, as are systems having multiple kites coupled to a given pair of tethers. Commercially useful tethers would most likely have a length of at least 1000 meters, and would be fixed at least 100 meters apart. During a given cycle the distance between each of the bases and the kite would likely vary by at least 50 meters. Motion of the tethers can be converted to useful energy in any commercially viable manner, for example by driving an electric generator or a water pump.