Flying windmill

Google, Inc. has invested in time 168 million dollars to build the world's largest solar power plant in California, and is seriously engaged in wind power. It became known that Google acquired Makani Power - a company that develops flying wind turbines.

Google as a major investor has already funded activities Makani Power in 2006-2007 in the amount of $ 15 million. In addition to this funding Makani Power has received in 2010 a government grant to develop a prototype Wing 7 - scale model (30 kW) wind turbine capacity of 600 kW, capable of flying at altitudes from 250 to 600 m, and the power transmission to the ground through the wires at the same time employees retaining its tether.

Watch the video under the cut:


Turbine attached to the wing installation, works like a conventional wind turbines - the air passing through the turbine blades causes the rotors to rotate them, driving electrical generators. However, according to Makani, this design provides a high efficiency, while allowing gentle breezes to produce twice as much energy compared with traditional wind turbines of the same size and at the same time requiring fewer materials to build. Flying turbine may be effective in those areas where the use of traditional windmills design uneconomical.
Recently conducted the first flight test of a prototype autonomous Wing 7, demonstrating all the possible flight configurations, including take-off, landing and planning.