Imagine a wheat field swaying in the wind: it is an image that evokes beauty and nature. But what if I told you that movement could soon be captured by revolutionary energy technology? And without the impressive wind turbines we are used to? This is what Airloom promises, a project that could not only reduce the costs of wind energy, but also redesign our approach to renewable sources.
A breath of innovation in the wind sector
Airloom Energy has only recently revealed its cards, introducing a radically different technical approach to the field of wind energy. With a new CEO from Google[x] and initial funding of $4 million (led by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund) the startup promises to upset the financial equation of wind farms.
Wind energy: size matters… or maybe not?
Wind turbines are reaching colossal sizes, some even taller than the Eiffel Tower, making them some of the largest moving machines in history. And it looks like they will continue to grow, because the larger the size, the greater the energetic incentive to make the blades even longer. However, size means increased costs at every level: materials, manufacturing, transportation, logistics, construction and maintenance.
The solution proposed by Airloom resizes everything, bringing the key elements closer to the ground. A 2,5 MW Airloom plant would use a series of 25-metre-high poles to suspend an oval runway, into which 10-metre wing blades are inserted, connected by a cable. These blades, similar to those on a sailboat, capture wind energy as they travel along the track, oriented to maximize wind capture.
Simpler and less expensive
With this “architecture”, an entire 2,5 MW Airloom layout can be transported on a single truck, eliminating the need for huge wind tower cranes. Furthermore, parts can be built in relatively small factories, and every aspect of installation and maintenance can also be easier, cheaper and safer. Comparing, for example, a 2,5 MW GE unit, Airloom claims that a wing track will cost less than 10% compared to a traditional turbine, costing less than $225.000. Adding land requirements and other factors, an entire wind farm promises to have less than 25% of the initial costs, with less than $6 million for a 20 MW wind farm.
Low-cost energy for the future
On a practical level, Airloom claims that its design will bring the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) of wind energy about a third of the current one per kilowatt hour, around 1,3 cents per kilowatt hour. This would make one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy even more affordable.
The system promises to be less visually invasive than tall wind turbine towers, making it suitable for a wider range of sites and reducing opposition from the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) phenomenon. It is also horizontally scalable, so that runways could extend for kilometers, and the height of the system can be changed to make the most of a given site.
For decades, the wind industry has reduced the cost of energy production by increasing the size of turbines. It has been extremely effective in reducing overall costs, but the approach now faces challenges in terms of placement and material costs. Airloom's unique approach can solve both of these problems.
Carmichael Roberts, Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Towards commercialization
With prototypes already working at a small scale, Airloom will use its seed funding to demonstrate the technology with a 50 kW test device, then move on to commercialization and scale-up. It will be interesting to find out what capacity factor these installations will achieve in a wind farm context, compared to the average 35% factor of on-shore wind turbines (at least in the US). Being closer to the ground, the Airloom system may not take advantage of the higher wind speeds found higher up.
Airloom also says the concept will also work offshore, where most of the best wind resources are located. Presumably, however, this will require longer poles, anchored to the seabed.
Conclusion
Energy is primarily a matter of cost, and if this machine can produce wind power at a third of the price of a tall tower, the capacity factor won't matter much. I'm fascinated by this idea, although I expect progress to be painfully slow. Consider that it took Airloom 7 years to complete the first prototype. Not quite as fast as the wind, right?
