Trump May Ground Government Aid That Launched Flying Turbine
- Energy department’s ARPA-E focuses on breakthrough technology
- President Trump’s advisers question utility of aid program
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Saul Griffith first tested a flying wing that could send wind turbines high into the atmosphere from the roof of the MIT Media Lab. At an altitude of 1,000 feet, the wind blasts consistently, making the power source cheaper and more reliable.
But in 2009, after eight years of tinkering, his company Makani Power and its flying wind generators were in trouble. With the recession at its peak, Griffith hit a point familiar to other energy inventors: his ability to make money from his technology was still years away but he couldn’t find new private capital to keep the enterprise afloat.