Pulling Power from the Sky: The Story of Makani [Feature Film]

"Pulling Power From the Sky: The Story of Makani" chronicles the thirteen-year quest of an eclectic band of scientists, artists, sailors, pilots, and engineers as they team up to design and build kites that can efficiently harness energy from the wind. Created by members of the Makani team, and featuring beautiful footage from test sites in Hawai’i, California, and Norway, this film provides an intimate portrait of the team and spirit.

[mikiethebikie]

I am a 70 year old watching this, I feel confident the world is in good hands with this team at play. 👍 🙏 thanks

[timokreuzer]

With 13 years and millions of dollars spent, this must be the record for the most elaborate and expensive documentary ever made. 😄

[peterhladky]

The only failure in life is to not try. To try and fail isn't failure, it's learning. Hats off to the team!

[Napstone]

To put so much heart and soul covering such a technical subject and present it with absolute clarity and candid moments, is an accomplishment on its own. Congratulations, this is a top notch documentary. I remember Makani's early days and always wondered what happened to them. Thanks for this. Beautifully documented for future generations.

[jimbronson]

Very cool project. Not sure why approached in this manor as there is in fact already a kite and prop generating system. A fellow in Orange county CA designed it and built at least two models And one of the two is for sale right now. It does not use the cross wind you folks are going for but then it does not need to. A faster than the wind wind turbin car has already proved you do NOT have to use cross wind other than that picked up by the prop pitch. sailboats certainly can and do go faster than the wind driving them in many situations but you can harness that power with far less sophistication. But this is one cool and brilliant undertaking for cleaner energy. So glad you did this. very glad you shared it.

[tomclark]

Other than being disappointed in the absence of an explanation of how electrical power would be conducted to the ground, the amount of power generated, and the many technical aspects of the project, the film was entertaining and held my attention throughout.

[ricl]

I have been watching Makani since 2010. Every time a new video was released, my spirit was lifted. I am sad to see Makani to fold. In the mean time I am happy Makani is sharing with the public the knowledge gained during the long and exciting journey.
Good job Makani. Your spirit lives on. You will inspire generations after you.

[greyraven]

I will be 75 yrs old in a few weeks time and after watching this video with keen interest I have to say that what I have seen and what this group of people have acheived is commendable to the highest degree! What is a tragedy is that are so few with the means to help this project move forward to become globally viable!

[norikootsuki]

Thanks to everyone on the team at Makani for making this data available to all. Success is measured in many different ways. Success could be measured purely on the basis of experimentation and in the accumulation of research in this field. Good job to all!

[jeff]

This was not a failure by any stretch. What they achieved in 13 years and the jump start of the new tech is monumental. Well done to all involved. Without folks like you, humanity fails. Chalk this one up as a HUGE win. We haven’t seen the last of this type of idea and tech.

[OscarRuiz-gjmp]

As a sport kite flyer I found the whole film absolutely mesmerizing! I love putting my 5 meter foils into endless figure-8 loops while it drags me down the beach/field...wotta workout! lol.

[KurtRohde]

Thank you Makani Team! You've each moved on to the next big thing, but during your time together you were an inspiring collection of pioneers, visionaries, designers, science geeks, engineers, programmers, builders, fabricators, pilots, and at the end, seafarers. Corwin would be proud of your contribution to renewable energy and the technology that makes it happen.

[pashmaster]

For the Team the last 13 Years where not lost....this was the Engineering life I was longing for.

[shortstroke]

I wasn’t aware that wind/power technology had gone in this direction. Awesome!

[collectorguy]

There are so many accomplishments here, but I'm most impressed how they're doing all this while raising children. Can't imagine how it's possible.

[jimthvac]

This project went far beyond What I thought it would accomplish. I am very impressed with what they was able to do with this "Power generating Kite". My hats off to the team involved in putting this together. However It is hard to imagine something this complex surviving long enough in wind gust etc to be able to make a profit in producing electricity. Still extremely impressive.

[joepbreuer]

Thanks for sharing this great story, very recognizable journey towards an operational airborne wind energy system. Pity Makani couldn't continue this story but it will always be recognized as a great pioneer of our technology.

[tanyouliang]

Great job in advancing an untapped sector on renewable energy. These engineering efforts are not wasted, future companies are generations will learn from this and make renewables more viable in the coming years. Kudos to the team

[ZBackas]

Unbelievably inspiring - Thank you for sharing this journey with us!

[chanhopong]

The exploration of new and better solutions will be noticed and recognized. The sharing of knowledge and experience is selfless. I hope some day, people will make this master piece of invention financially viable. It takes decades to commercialize solar panels and wind mills. The kite will be there surely though slowly. Thank you for sharing your exciting journey.