BBC News, 23
May 2013
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| Google's investment helped found Makani Power and bankrolled its first experiments |
Makani
Power will become part of Google X - the secretive research and development arm
of the search giant.
The deal
comes as Makani carries out the first fully autonomous flights of robot kites
bearing its power-generating propellers.
Google has
not said how much it paid to acquire Makani, but it has invested $15m (£9.9m)
in the company before now.
In a statement posted to its website, Makani said the deal would "provide
Makani with the resources to accelerate our work to make wind energy cost
competitive with fossil fuels".
Rather than
use fixed turbines to generate power, Makani has been experimenting with
"flying wings" adorned with several smaller turbines that act as
propellers as the craft takes off.
Makani
claims that mounting the turbines on a wing is more efficient as large numbers
can be built with fewer materials than traditional tower-based turbines. In
addition, the robot wings can land to avoid damage if wind speeds are too high
or during bad weather.
It plans to
operate the tethered wings in small groups of six with each one anchored at the
points of a hexagon. The wings operate between 250m (820ft)and 600m meters
above ground.
The firm
has just successfully completed tests on a 30 kW prototype to see if its
control system lets it launch, hover, generate power and land without human
intervention. Fully working models will be larger and, Makani hopes, be able to
generate 600 kW. It hopes the cost of the power generated will initially be
competitive with off-shore wind farms.
Power is
generated by the wing flying in a circular path, with electricity transmitted
to the ground via the conducting core of the tether.
Google X is
the "big ideas" arm of the search firm that is tasked with testing
out ideas outside the normal remit of the larger company. The lab has given
rise to Google's self-driving car initiative and did the early work on its
augmented spectacles.
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