Airborne Wind Turbine at Oshkosh

[Makani Power]

Hi everyone, a group of us from Makani Power will be in Oshkosh this year with our Airborne Wind Turbine. For most of us this is our first visit to AirVenture, and we're really excited to check out all the other cool projects and aircraft. Any can't-miss exhibits for first timers?

If you want to see our 8 meter wingspan (30 kW) prototype in person, come by the Innovation Hangar South. We'll be there every day showing it off and answering questions.


If you can't make it to Oshkosh this year, you can learn more about Makani and our technology at www.makanipower.com.


Looking forward to meeting some of you next week!

[AeroPilot]

Pretty cool concept.

[tdm]

Innovative.

Questions. Will it be necessary to light the tether for collision avoidance? How long of a surface necessary for launch, if any? Minimum windspeed for self-sustaining flight? Why four small turbines, and not a single larger one? (Hovering control?) Can the unit, or will future units, be water-launchable? Any estimations on a mature development cost per kW-h?

I see on the website it "launches like a helicopter". Does this mean the craft tilts up 90 degrees and uses the turbines like rotors?

Sorry if these questions are answered elsewhere, didn't see them on site, but only had a brief look.

Good luck, and Thanks for showing.

[Makani Power]

Thanks for your questions. Some answers:

1. Will it be necessary to light the tether for collision avoidance?
We certainly expect to light our systems to avoid collisions, likely in a similar manner to conventional turbines and radio towers.

2. How long of a surface necessary for launch, if any?
The wing launches and lands vertically, like a rotorcraft.

3. Minimum windspeed for self-sustaining flight?
4 meters/second (8.9 mph, 7.8 knots). Below that speed, the wing can draw power from the grid to continue flying or to land.

4. Why four small turbines, and not a single larger one? (Hovering control?)
This gives the wing more control, and also adds redundancy in case of component failure. The larger M600 system we are currently developing will have eight rotors.

5. Can the unit, or will future units, be water-launchable?
Yes, this is on our roadmap. Makani's cost and deployment advantages are even larger offshore. The wing would launch from and be tethered to a floating buoy.

6. Any estimations on a mature development cost per kW-h?
We believe that a mature system can generate electricity onshore at a levelized cost of between $0.03-.07/kWh without subsidies, better than other renewable energy technologies and competitive with fossil fuels.

7. Does this mean the craft tilts up 90 degrees and uses the turbines like rotors?
Yes, the wing launches vertically, then transitions to crosswind flight at altitude. You can see a video of our current prototype operating here: http://www.makanipower.com/2012/05/2494/

We are enjoying meeting many of you in the Innovation Hangar here at Oshkosh. Thanks for your interest! Please stop by if you haven't yet.