Resilient Energy, Anywhere

About this episode

Rob Creighton discusses Windlift's innovative tethered drone technology as a potential replacement for traditional wind turbines.

Can a tethered drone flying 400 feet in the air really replace traditional wind turbines? Rob Creighton, Founder and CEO of Windlift, brings an unconventional background to clean energy innovation. After mapping the human genome as a lab technician, his concerns about peak oil led him to Miles Lloyd's revolutionary 1980 paper on airborne wind energy. "Cut off the tip of a wind turbine blade, attach it to a tether and generate the same electricity with 95% less material," Rob explains. Windlift's tethered drones fly at 400 feet, generating power without towers or massive infrastructure. Can this technology scale beyond defense applications? Rob shares why he's willing to risk everything for climate solutions that protect the Minnesota wilderness where his nephew can no longer play pond hockey.

People in this episode

Host: Keith Zakheim

Guest: Rob Creighton

Topics covered

• clean energy
• innovation
• drones
• wind energy
• climate solutions

Keywords

• tethered drone
• wind turbines
• clean energy
• airborne wind energy
• climate solutions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Windlift

Places: Minnesota

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