Bill Gates backs innovative wind energy alternative: Airloom Energy's oval track solution

Wind energy, a key player in the current global energy mix, largely relies on wind turbines. It's a dependence that Arloom Energy believes could be bypassed for superior alternatives. They propose a solution that would significantly cut the costs and, in the process, negate the "visual invasiveness" associated with wind turbines. Recognizing its potential, Bill Gates has decided to back this idea with a multi-million dollar investment.

American firm Airloom Energy suggests a unique approach involving an oval track fitted with evenly spaced blades. Preliminary studies and calculations conducted by experts indicate that this method could significantly bring down the wind energy costs to an extremely favorable level. It's an innovative technique allowing the generation of an equivalent amount of energy as traditional wind turbines, but at a third of the cost. This saving encompasses the reduced costs of production, transportation, erection, and upkeep.

According to the concept presented by Airloom Energy, everything involved would also be smaller and closer to the ground. A sample 2.5 MW farm would employ multiple 82-foot poles suspending an oval track with 33-foot blades mounted on it. The blade arrangement facilitates the capture of wind from virtually any direction, much like the sails of a ship.

The entire apparatus required for a 2.5-megawatt wind farm can be accommodated on a single truck. There's no need for behemoth turbines, ships, or cranes. The whole product can be manufactured for less in small factories, and its assembly and maintenance will be easier, more economical, and safer. For comparison, a traditional GE “power plant” of an equivalent output employs a wind turbine with a 328-foot rotor.

The proposed Airloom Energy wind farm is also expected to be significantly less "visually invasive" than the conventional wind turbines. Simultaneously, it is scalable, both vertically and horizontally, enabling it to tailor to the prevailing conditions at varying locations.

The immense potential of this venture has been acknowledged and rewarded. Airloom Energy has received a $4 million funding, with the lion's share provided by Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund, a proud affiliate of Bill Gates. The acquired funds will be allocated towards the construction of experimental wind farms of this design. The initiative will kick start with a 50 kW unit and, if deemed successful, efforts will then be channeled towards scaling and commercializing it.