There are two basic wind resources. Consistent and intermittent. Each require a different harvesting approach.
Consistent WindsThere are scarce land-based sites. Technology is well-advanced on available sites.
The largest sites on the planet for consistent winds, as yet untapped, is the upper 40 and lower 40 degree latitudes (The roaring forties) It may well be feasible to eventually place mills on platforms or large rafts out in mid ocean.
In addition there is the jet stream at 30,000 feet.
Any ideas?
Intermittent Winds.Endless land-based sites.
Main challenge is energy storage when the winds are not blowing.
Batteries are a poor option in large scale operations.
Deploying massive barrel mills in high wind sites and have them drive high-speed carbon flywheels housed in vacuum chambers underground, could well be viable wind-power stations of the future.
Flywheel technology is now up in the 100,000 RPM range.
Medium-term energy storage at such high revs, seems feasible.
(ATEC)A third source of wind energy can be artificially generated via Atmospheric Thermal Energy Conversion techniques.
Wind is naturally generated when large volumes of air are moved across the planet via high and low pressure systems.
Natural wind dynamics are easily understood in coastal regions where breezes are consistent. During the day the sun heats up the land faster than the ocean. As hot air rises, the cool air from the ocean gets sucked into the vacuum and creates an ocean breeze. At night, the land cools faster than the ocean, so the air movement is reversed.
On a planetary scale the same basic dynamics is generated via ocean currents bringing icy waters from the Arctic regions and circulating warm water from the tropics.
OTEC or Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion is a method of tapping into the dynamics of warm surface water and cold deep-water currents. There is a large power station in Hawaii operating via OTEC technologies.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversionLarge-scale chimneys present a method of converting the atmospheric energy potential - especially in desert regions where land surface temperatures can reach 150 degrees during the day.
Chimneys create upward drafts because the air pressure inside the cylinder is slightly lower than the surrounding air pressure
A conical chimney with a large base and sharp taper, several thousand feet high, has the potential to generate high velocity interior winds and drive large turbines.
On a truly massive scale, a tower city designed like a chimney will generate much of its own energy needs.
, those ideas make wind sound alot better... Is there any of them possible in the near future within current economic conditions? If so, what kind of power we talking? 
