Topic: Life of a Power Kite?    (Soft kite) How many hours can a power kite be put into service?   When human life is at stake?  When human life is not at stake?  Evidence?  Specifications for the wing involved and the service involved?

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May 3, 2020, post by Dave Santos Lifespan of a power kite Lets agree on facts:  If 1 m2 worth of cheap recyclable fabric high in the sky is too expensive to power an average household for months, then forget power kites.

May 3, 2020, post by Dave Santos For a power kite that is not intended to fly humans For a power kite that is not intended to fly humans, the working lifespan of a well maintained wing is an open question, a few thousand hours, at least. Large SS power kites may someday pay for themselves in as little as three weeks, at market energy rates. Power kites are quick, cheap, and easy to repair. Its known that carbon black pigment essentially solves polymer UV life. As porosity is lost, a simple retreatment restores zero porosity. Working kites may fade or stain, but keep working a long time. Power kites are best used as a quiver, to match wind to load across broad conditions. Under proper care, a kite quiver is immortal, with only occasional replacements and upgrades. kPower proposes that power kite lifespan be tested realistically, to correct guesswork about how long such kites can last. Testing by multiple companies is showing that rigid-wings hardly survive a two days of AWES operation, with pay-back requiring several years of survival.