Bill Gatesin his role as one of the richest people in the world and one of the philanthropists with the most free time, he becomes news every time he starts a new project focused on one of his greatest current obsessions: the future of industries.
Whether it is the meat production market, agricultural production, farm maintenance or, as now, wind energy, these are all topics in which the Microsoft co-founder has ended up investing part of his fortune with a view to the future.
Bill Gates is a relatively eccentric person, with an unusual vision of things. We analyzed the perfect example of this a few days ago with his story of that old habit of traveling in economy class when he can buy half an airport.
But when it comes to what is coming for the planet, your opinion is always a reference. And now the tycoon has something in mind with a special technology to produce energy at very low costs.
Bill Gates invests $4 million in AirLoom Energy
A report from New Atlas tells us how a US startup backed by Bill Gates has developed innovative new wind technology that could revolutionize utility-scale clean energy generation.
The company, called AirLoom Energy, claims that its technology based on a series of “tracks and wings” can produce the same amount of energy as a conventional wind turbine at a fraction of the cost, approximately 66% less:
“AirLoom is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to change the way we generate wind energy. AirLoom technology is much more efficient than conventional wind turbines, meaning it can generate more power with fewer resources.
For decades, the wind industry has reduced the cost of energy production by scaling larger and larger turbines.
Although this has been extremely successful in reducing overall costs, the approach now faces challenges in terms of both location and material cost.
Airloom’s unique approach can solve both problems, opening up new market opportunities for wind energy that will further reduce costs.”
This is what Carmichael Roberts himself points out, in his role as head of Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Bill Gates’ investment fund that will support AirLoom with a figure of USD $4 million.
How AirLoom works
AirLoom works by harnessing the wind to propel a series of “wings” along a lightweight track. These wings are attached to a cable that is wound on a drum, which generates electricity.
AirLoom technology has several advantages over conventional wind turbines, as it is much more efficient, meaning it can generate more power with fewer resources.
It is also smaller and lighter, making it easier to install and maintain, so its installation costs would be just one-third that of current systems.