Bill Gates-backed bid to reinvent wind power set for US debut
Airloom Energy claims its system of generating power through 'wings' that run around a lightweight track is drastically cheaper than conventional wind turbines
A start-up backed by Bill Gates that aims to reinvent wind power forever has raked in fresh funding to accelerate the development of a US pilot project.
Airloom Energy says the project in the state of Wyoming will prove it can build wind for a fraction of the cost of conventional horizontal-axis turbines.
It plans to break ground on the project next year.
Airloom has now raked in almost $14m in fresh funding to support the project from investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the innovation vehicle led by Microsoft founder Gates, and the state of Wyoming.
“As global demand for renewable energy increases,” Airloom CEO Neal Rickner said its technology offers a breakthrough in driving down the cost of energy while “addressing the supply chain challenges that have long hindered the wind sector.”
“With a focus on efficiency, scalability and sustainability, Airloom is positioned to become a key player in the future of renewable energy.”
After building the 50kW prototype, Airloom aims to scale up to developing wind farms that can deliver hundreds of megawatts at a time.
The system works by harnessing wind to propel ‘wings’ along a lightweight track.
Airloom has said it can achieve a levelised cost of energy (LCOE) as low as $0.013/kWh. It claims it could develop a 20MW wind farm for under $6m, which it says is about a quarter of the cost of using current technology.
Along with the cost advantages, the start-up claims it operates at a fraction of the height of the latest supersized utility-scale wind turbines – around 24 metres.
Its technology can be configured high or low, short or long, to optimise siting and does not require large concrete foundations in commissioning.
The decrease in overall weight and materials also means greatly reduced landfill impacts at the end of its use, it says.
Airloom says its team boasts industry veterans from Google X, Boeing, GE, Vestas and DNV. Rickner previously served as COO of Makani, a next-generation wind turbine company owned by Alphabet and Shell.
(Copyright)