BLUE SKY POWER

摘要

BIG-BUCKS INVESTORS (INCLUDING GOOGLE) ARE GAMBLING TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON A POTENTIALLY GAME-CHANGING NEW ENERGY SOURCE - AIRBORNE WIND TURBINES. THE TECHNOLOGY IS REVOLUTIONARY, BUT CAN IT REALLY TURN A STEADY BREEZE INTO A PAYING PROPOSITION? TWENTY-FIVE-KNOT GUSTS SWEEP ACROSS THE PACIFIC, SCOOPING UP KITE BOARDERS AND flinging them into the sky. Atop a seaside bluff, the wind races through the grass in long lines, the prairie version of ocean waves, and buffets a panel delivery truck parked at the end of a dirt road. The logo in peeling paint on the side reads TOM'S QUALITY SNACKS FOR EVERY TASTE. But there are no chips or Choco Tacos inside. Instead, four young men sit elbow to elbow, staring at computer screens filled with code. They act like an FBI surveillance team awaiting the big sting, until one of them jumps out the back and grabs what looks like a large model airplane.