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AWT
A wind based energy generation device with at least one airborne element. The Makani AWT consists of a rigid wing with mounted turbines that flies in circles across the wind at 300 meters (1,000 feet) above ground level.
Airborne Wind Turbine
A wind based energy generation device with at least one airborne element. The Makani AWT consists of a rigid wing with mounted turbines that flies in circles across the wind at 300 meters (1,000 feet) above ground level.
Airborne Wind Turbines
A wind based energy generation device with at least one airborne element. The Makani AWT consists of a rigid wing with mounted turbines that flies in circles across the wind at 300 meters (1,000 feet) above ground level.
Autonomous Controller
An on-board computer that controls the flight path of the wing by changing the position of the control flaps.
Avionics
The electronic backbone of the AWT. Avionics include the sensors, actuators, controllers and communication systems that keep the wing flying on its desired path.
Capacity factor
The average power output divided by the name plate power output of a power plant. Capacity factor demonstrates the frequency with which a power plant is running at its name plate capacity.
COE
Cost of Energy or the total cost to generate energy that is fed into the grid.
Firming Power
The outside power generation needed to stabilize the flow of electricity to the grid when an inconsistent resource, like wind or solar, creates less electricity than needed.
Ground Station
The base station for the AWT, includes a winch for retrieval of the wing and storage of the tether.
Material efficiency
Material efficiency refers to how much power is output in relation to the raw material needed for construction of the generator.
Rated power
The amount of power a plant delivers when operating at full capacity.
Rated capacity
The amount of power a plant delivers when operating at full capacity.
Rotors
The rotors capture the accelerated wind as it rushes across the wing and convert it into electrical power with small, direct drive generators. The hybrid rotors can act as propellers as well as turbines, allowing the wing to stay aloft if the wind dies.
Turbines
The rotors capture the accelerated wind as it rushes across the wing and convert it into electrical power with small, direct drive generators. The hybrid rotors can act as propellers as well as turbines, allowing the wing to stay aloft if the wind dies.
Tether
The tether is made of high strength fibers surrounding a conductive core. The tether carries the traction force of the wing and transmits the electrical power to the ground station.
Tethered
The tether is made of high strength fibers surrounding a conductive core. The tether carries the traction force of the wing and transmits the electrical power to the ground station.
Usable land
Factors that influence whether land is usable include site geography, ecology, and wind patterns, for example.
FAQ: Ask Damon
Damon Vander Lind, our Chief Engineer, spends his days carefully analyzing the details of the Makani system. Here, he addresses two fundamental questions: why we have our generators on the wing and how the system operates through changes in wind.
How does your system generate power?
After an extensive testing program in the first couple of years following the start of the company, Makani moved away from ground based, winched kite systems in favor of wing mounted generators. There are many reasons for this change in technical direction.
First, wing mounted generators allow the Makani AWT to generate power continuously in a repeated circular flight pattern. Comparably, ground based, winched kite systems must consume power and change flight controls during a retract phase at the end of each cycle. Second, the onboard generators can be used to provide thrust to hover the wing in a manner similar to a helicopter, allowing launch and retrieval of the wing from a small platform. Third, If the wind speed drops or changes directions quickly, the ability to easily and quickly create thrust can be used to keep the wing airborne and under precise control. Finally, wing mounted rotors spin at high speeds, allowing them to drive small, efficient, high RPM generators without a gearbox.
How does the system deal with changes in wind?
The Makani Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT) is designed to be reliable and robust over a wide range of conditions. While the wind at altitude is typically more consistent, large scale variations in speed and direction do occur. Wind speed variations do not significantly affect the trajectory of the wing, since they are small in comparison to the speed of the wing.
Makani AWTs are capable of operating in still air. When the wind is below 3 m/s (6.7 mph) the AWT consumes a small amount of power from the grid.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Makani AWT has been shown in simulation to operate in hurricane conditions: winds in excess of 50 m/s (112 mph) with gusts reaching 80 m/s (179 mph). Unlike a conventional turbine, which must actively pitch its massive blades with servo drives to compensate for gusts, the Makani planform pitches into the gusts passively, reducing loads quickly.