Google acquired a manufacturer of flying wind turbines

    Startup Makani Power makes probably the most spectacular and unusual wind farms in the world. Makani Windmill is a glider with a cable fixed to the ground that holds it in place. The glider moves along an annular trajectory perpendicular to the wind, like a crazed kite. But, unlike the snake, the flight is controlled by the on-board computer. On the wing there are several small propellers that rotate the generators. Takeoff and landing of the airframe occurs in helicopter mode, the generators work as engines.



    What are the advantages of this design? In ordinary windmills, the end of the blade works most intensively - the last 25% of its length can generate 75% of the power of the entire propeller. A wing flying in a circle is equivalent to the end of the blade of a very large windmill, and instead of the rest of the structure - a thin and light cable. The material consumption of such a flying windmill is 90% lower than traditional. By increasing the length of the cable, the wing can easily be raised to a great height, where the wind is stronger and more stable, while for traditional windmills every extra meter increases and increases the cost of the structure. The flying wing is effective at lower wind speeds, and at the same time well withstands stormy weather. If the wind threatens to reach a hurricane force, the wing just lands.

    Another point - small screws rotate at a very high speed, which allows you to install them directly on the generator shaft, without a gearbox. The total cost of electricity generated by a flying wing is half that of traditional wind generators. Plus the ability to quickly deploy such a power station anywhere in a matter of hours, or to install it above the surface of the sea.



    An experimental model of the M30 flying wind turbine, with a capacity of 30 kilowatts with a wingspan of only 8 meters, recently successfully passed flight tests in a fully autonomous mode. In the future, it is planned to produce M600 windmills - with a capacity of 600 kilowatts, with a wingspan of 28 meters, and a flight height of up to 300 meters, and five-megawatt giants M5 with a wingspan of 70 meters and a flight height of 600 meters intended for work in the open sea.

    Google has invested in Makani since 2006, when the startup was founded. Makani Power will now be part of the Google X division, which specializes in breakthrough innovative projects such as a standalone car and Google Glass.


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