Sky Turbines
Wind energy can be harvested using towers mounted on land or sea. Over the past years big wind towers have become very popular. We have all seen how thousands of such towers have already been deployed around the world.
(Artist's Impression)
Perhaps the most economical method for harvesting wind energy is the Sky Turbine, a turbine held up in the sky by an aerostatic device connected to the ground by a much smaller anchoring tower. The turbines make electricity just like the current technology. But at higher elevations the wind velocity is stronger and more uniform.
The turbines can be controlled, turn into the wind, get out of the wind, be serviced more comviently, etc.
In the near term ships may be the best sites for the initial sky turbines. Already there are plans for pulling ships using the wind to save energy. Adding a turbine to the pulling device will generate electricity for the ship.