Makani’s Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT) can create inexpensive energy, in more locations than traditional wind turbines, because it flies where the wind is stronger and more consistent.
The Makani AWT can transform wind power:
- Produces power at up to half the cost of traditional wind turbines
- Accesses the stronger and more consistent winds at altitude
- 90% less material than a conventional turbine, it is less expensive to build and install
- Opens up large new areas of wind resource, including the vast resources offshore above deep water
- Allows for deployment outside of visually or environmentally sensitive locations
The Makani AWT is a practical solution:
- Requires no more space than conventional turbines
- Capable of handling large, sudden shifts in wind speed and direction
- Redundant, fault tolerant design
- Lightning hardened
A graphic illustrating turbine size from 1995-2015, which shows that although wind turbines have grown tremendously in rated output over the past decade, conventional turbine technology has a long way to go to reach the same resource as even first generation AWTs. (Source: Lance, Wiser, Hand. IEA Wind Task 26: The Past and Future Cost of Wind Energy, NREL TP-6A20-53510, 2012; Makani estimates)
The video below shows how the Makani AWT creates these advantages: Click the arrows to advance through the video.
