MORRISVILLE — Windlift, an engineering and computer programming company that focuses on airborne wind energy (AWE), has raised $125,000 in a debt raise, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday. The firm disclosed the raise in two separate filings.
Developed by founder Robert Creighton in 2004, its wind system allows unmanned aerial vehicles to harvest electricity anywhere there is wind, both onshore and offshore.
On land, the system’s airborne wind energy is either transported by trailers or kept in place. The offshore system gathers wind through anchored buoys.
The benefit of AWE, according to Creighton, is that it generates sustainable energy at one tenth of the cost of traditional wind energy systems.
“Windlift is a good alternative to offshore wind farms, because they are not visible from shore,” Creighton told WRAL TechWire last year, explaining that systems like turbines have caused controversy in the past.
“The cost of installation is also significantly cheaper than turbines currently being used.”
According to its website, the company has received $2.3 million in funding from the US Army and Marine Corps. The company said it is currently raising funds to transition into off-shore power generation.
