Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1181966
66 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2019 into a functioning product—one that works efficiently and reliably. Matties: What market do you see this serving? I know you talked about developing countries. Dylan Nguyen: I could see it being a humanitar- ian product. I've seen a website where donors would buy the product, and it would be sent to developing countries or airdropped into disas- ter-stricken areas. I could also see it being used in the outdoor recreation market. A scaled-up system could be used on a ship, using a foil kite flying in endless figure eights, or you could equip a truck with a large battery on its bed, drive into disaster-stricken areas, and launch the tethered kite. The electrical energy it pro - duces can be plugged into an existing power grid. I don't see it competing with other utility- grade power generators used on wind farms, but it adds more ideas to the mix. Matties: You mentioned enough to power a refrigerator, for example, which takes quite a bit of power. Dylan Nguyen: Right. That's one of my goals. For now, it can power something like a fan, especially in hot areas where that's important, and it can power lights continuously, which is also very useful. With a bigger system, battery, and kite, it can satisfy the need of a household or a small community. Matties: Provided there is wind. What do peo- ple do when there is no wind? Dylan Nguyen: That's something that I was looking at too, although the reserved electric- ity in the battery can cover that issue. Matties: That's the market killer because if you don't have wind, you don't have power, which makes a stronger case for solar. Dylan Nguyen: It does make a stronger case for solar, which is why I was thinking about com- bining the two to make a more reliable, balanced system. I want something that could roll with the punches if there was no wind, or it was nighttime, and there was no sun, and still generate power. Matties: If there is wind at night, that's a good alternative to solar. Dylan Nguyen: There are pros and cons to both, which is why I hope to find a way to com- bine the two. Matties: It would be nice if your kite was a solar panel, so whether it was in the sky or on the ground, it would generate power. Detail images of the project.