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Making Cheaper, Better Windmills | Fast Company

GOAL: Cheaper, Better Windmills

PROJECT: Makani Airborne Wind Turbine (aka the Flying Windmill)

Thesis
Wind power can be cheaper than solar and greener than coal, which bodes well for the $77 billion (and counting) annual market. But turbines are clunky and expensive—both huge barriers to adoption. So what if they soared like kites?

Method
Makani built a carbon-fiber wing, with triblade propellers to mimic traditional windmills. The gizmo, which flies in circles, is tethered to the ground by a wire that transmits the electricity its propellers generate. Onboard sensors and a computer chip work automatically to direct its path. “Once the blade gets high enough, it can coast without help from a motor,” says CEO Corwin Hardham. “It flies by hitting the wind flow perpendicularly, like a kite.”