Slashing CO2Wind power on a clothesline.
Big Picture
The cost of wind power has fallen dramatically thanks in part to longer blades on taller towers generating power more efficiently. But, as those turbines have grown larger, so too have the capital, land, and labor required for construction, logistics, and installation. They are now so massive that blades brush up against the limits of what can clear the overpass on a freeway. Viable alternatives are yet to emerge.
How it Works
Airloom’s unique wind power geometry generates electricity by driving small, adjustable sails across inexpensive wireframes. By avoiding the bulky and heavy materials used in classic turbines, Airloom’s system comes in at just 4% the weight of conventional turbines while generating the same amount of energy. This opens up the possibility to build vertically, horizontally, onshore, and offshore.
Unfair Advantage
Their approach cuts labor, transport, and construction costs by more than 80 percent for a levelized cost of energy as low as $15/MWh. This is more than 3 times cheaper than the price of conventional wind today. Airloom’s simple, lightweight design creates new opportunities for rapid and widespread deployment at sites that were previously inaccessible or otherwise impractical for wind power.
03
times lower LCOE
than conventional onshore wind power
NEAL RICKNER CEO
Neal, a former Marine, was previously the CEO of a the battery storage company, BridgeTek, and COO of Google wind moonshot, Makani.
ROBERT LUMLEY FOUNDER
Robert is the inventor of Airloom’s core technology. He was previously the CEO and founder of infotech company Haystack Systems.
Airloom has a plan to halve the cost of wind power
TechCrunch
This wind turbine looks like nothing you’ve ever seen before
University of Wyoming