Pulling Power from the Sky: The Story of Makani

The US west coast is on fire–yes, the grass in the hills used to burn each summer when we were kids, too, but this is different. Nearly unlivable air quality and surreal orange skies are bringing the significance of global climate change home. From Hawaii I look at those pictures with concern for my family, friends, and the world. And on that theme of climate change and urgency, my sister made a movie!

For the last few years my sister Kate worked for the company Makani, working on developing new ways to harness wind power to generate sustainable energy. Started by a few kiteboarding engineers, Makani’s idea of energy kites developed from soft kites to rigid kites and on to kites as big as planes, entering uncharted currents of aerodynamics. This film, written and directed by Kate Stirr and edited and narrated by Andrea Dunlop, tells the story of Makani’s quest for a new way to generate wind power, from beginning to end.

The official description: “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.”