Patent ID: 7859126

Claim:
A system, comprising: an airborne body extending horizontally along an axis between a first point and a second point, wherein the body is at least partially filled with a gas and includes: an inflatable envelope at least partially filled with the gas, and a net structure substantially surrounding and constraining the inflatable envelope; two or more vanes airborne with the body such that the vanes, when acted upon by a wind force perpendicular to the axis, are operable to cause rotation about the axis, each vane comprising a horizontal blade panel attached to and extending along the body; one or more tethers coupled to anchor the body to a third point; one or more electrical generators airborne with the body to convert rotational energy produced by the rotation about the axis into electrical energy; and a structure to adjust the volume associated with the inflatable envelope, the structure including at least one of: (i) a pair of balloonets, each balloonet being located at substantially opposite sides of the axis, (ii) a center balloonet located within the inflatable envelope and substantially at a center point between the first and second points, or (iii) at least one structure to provide expandable tension for the inflatable envelope along the axis.