Patent ID: 7723861

Claim:
An airborne system for producing electricity from wind energy, comprising: a turbine section comprising: a shaft; at least one turbine rotatably mounted to the shaft so as to rotate relative to the shaft when exposed to wind; at least one generator coupled to the at least one turbine, and arranged to convert rotation of the at least one turbine into electricity; wherein the at least one generator is mounted so as to be fixed relative to the shaft; a lifting section comprising: at least one sealed inflatable body containing lighter than air gas and coupled to the turbine section, wherein the lifting force that the at least one sealed inflatable body generates, causes the airborne system to be airborne at a desired altitude; wherein the turbine section and the lifting section are constructed such that the center of gravity of the airborne system is vertically lower than the center of lift of the airborne system, and wherein the airborne system angularly positions itself such that the center of gravity of the airborne system is approximately in the lowest possible point relative to the center of lift, while the at least one turbine is not rotating; an anchoring section connecting the airborne system to an anchoring base to anchor the airborne system relative to the earth, wherein the anchoring section includes a tether; and a conductor connected to the turbine section to conduct electricity from the at least one generator for usage or for energy storage; wherein when the at least one turbine is exposed to wind, the turbine rotates and induces a rotational torque on the turbine section that causes the airborne system to deviate angularly from the position where the center of gravity is at the lowest possible point relative to the center of lift, and a returning torque acts on the turbine section; wherein the returning torque increases while the system angular deviation is increasing, until the returning torque is substantially equal to the torque induced by the at least one turbine on the shaft, and the airborne system becomes angularly stable.