TIME's Best Inventions of 2008

The Other 49 Best Inventions

35. Airborne Wind Power

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As you get higher, the wind gets stronger. Harvesting just 1% of those high-altitude breezes could produce enough power for everyone on Earth. That's what Sky Windpower aims to do. The San Diego company — founded by a scientist who got his start breaking codes during World War II — is designing flying wind turbines that could harness the jet stream. It's the definition of high tech.

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