Google ‘Flying Wind Turbine’ to Take Flight Next Year
KOHALA, Hawaii—Google is reportedly hoping to start a pilot project to test out an innovative “flying wind turbine” machine designed to cut the cost of energy and land use demand. According to West Hawaii Today, Google has chosen a plot of land on the Big Island of Hawaii where it will build and test what it calls “energy kites.” The project is being run by Makani Power, which Google acquired last year and absorbed into its Google X division. The company designs lightweight kites that can harness energy from high-altitude winds. The kite includes three flight computers, in addition to other computers. Peter Fitzgerald, Google’s UK sales director, said the energy kites could significantly reduce the cost of renewable energy by reducing the need for steel traditionally used for towers. “You have to spend a lot of money on steel and concrete to build these massive turbines and you can only do that in about 15% of the world where the wind is fast enough,” he said, adding that the flying turbines hold promise to get around the restrictions.
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