Makani

Makani is a Hawaiian word meaning wind. In English-language contexts, Makani most often refers to Makani Power, a defunct American company that developed airborne wind energy technology, and to the related project within Google X (Alphabet) that carried the same name.

Makani Power was established in the mid-2000s as a private company focused on harvesting wind with tethered wings. The core concept involved a lightweight wing or kite flying in crosswind patterns while a generator mounted on the wing produced electricity that was transmitted down the tether to a ground-based system. The design aimed to access stronger, steadier winds at higher altitudes than conventional turbines, potentially increasing energy density and reducing material costs.

In 2013, Makani Power was acquired by Google X, the experimental division of Google (now Alphabet). The project continued as an internal moonshot, with successive generations of kites and ground stations undergoing extensive flight testing and demonstrations in sites including Hawaii and California. The work emphasized advances in autonomous flight control, power generation through a tethered system, and lightweight, high-strength materials.

Alphabet announced the shutdown of the Makani wind energy program in 2019, with operations concluding in 2020 and staff reassigned to other projects. While the project did not reach commercial viability, its research contributed to the broader field of airborne wind energy, informing control algorithms, manufacturing approaches, and integration concepts that influenced subsequent work in sustainable energy technologies.