Makani Technologies LLC
2175 Monarch St , Alameda, California, United States

Makani is developing energy kites that use a wing tethered to a ground station to efficiently harness energy from the wind, generating electricity at utility-scale. As the kite flies autonomously in loops, rotors on the wing spin as the wind moves through them, generating electricity that is sent down the tether to the grid.

A NEW KIND OF WIND POWER TECHNOLOGY

Wind energy has the potential to power the world 100 times over, yet only 4% of the worlds electricity comes from wind. The Makani energy kite system integrates advances in aerospace engineering, materials science, and autonomous controls to create a lightweight design that is easy to transport and install.

ACCESSING STRANDED WIND RESOURCES

The low mass of Makanis system unlocks wind energy resources in areas offshore that are not economically viable for existing technologies. Harnessing energy from the wind in new places means more people around the world will have access to clean, affordable wind power.

DEMONSTRATED TECHNOLOGY

Makani has over a decade of experience designing, building, and testing energy kites. In 2015 we began testing our current prototype which is designed to transfer up to 600 kilowatts of electrical power—enough to power about 300 homes. We successfully demonstrated our airborne wind power system offshore in 2019.

TECHNOLOGY DESIGNED FOR LARGE GENERATING CAPACITY

A suite of simulation tools have guided the design and development. Computational models of kite aerodynamics, structural loads, and the g-forces of flight have informed the design of the 26-meter carbon fiber wing and high-strength tether.

OUR TEAM

Our team is a community of curious, data-driven people working on unsolved problems in a fast-paced team environment. Balance is imperative to our success—we value both precise and big picture thinkers; deep specialists and broad generalists; and we work hard and have fun. We believe our best work is done when we are serious about the work, but dont take ourselves too seriously in the process.

CARE FOR OUR PLANET

We are engineers, sailors, physicists, pilots, artists, tinkerers, and more, but what brings us together is our belief that we can be part of a long-term solution that eliminates the need for carbon in energy production. We are actively focused on designing, building and testing energy kites in response to our ever-changing world.

STRONG FOUNDATIONS

Makani was founded in 2006 by Corwin Hardham, Don Montague and Saul Griffith with the goal of developing a low-cost renewable energy solution using kite technology. Initial funding came from Google.org as part of its RE<C program. Makani joined X, Alphabets moonshot factory, in 2013, and became an independent company within Alphabet in 2019.