Thar' she blows! Google invests $5 million in high altitude wind
Google.org is looking more and more like a cleantech venture fund as it ploughs $5million into high-altitude wind startup Makani Power, earth2tech reports. The money is part of a series B round of investment (Google already stomped up $10million for them in series A).
Makini Power was founded in 2006 by MIT serial inventor Saul Griffith and former World Cup windsurfer Don Montague, the company has nearly 30 employees, many of them kitesurfers. By putting a kite or similar structure up 5 to 10 kilometers in the air the company could tap the strong winds at high altitudes. The power of wind is related to the cube of its velocity, meaning you can get way more energy out of faster blowing wind. The real advantage of high altitude wind is the reliability. Whereas traditional wind is only 33% reliable, high altitude wind could provide an energy source that is 75% dependable, making it far more viable as a base-load energy source.
Google.org now has a growing portfolio of cleantech investments which are all part of its Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal campaign. Other investments include deep geothermal energy investments and investments in electric car maker Aptera and battery developer ActaCell.
