Bill Gates-Backed Company Is Redesigning the Wind Turbine
In addition to Gates, the Department of Defense is funding a pilot project of a wind energy system that looks like a rollercoaster.
Traditional wind turbines use a tower and blades, but Airloom’s relies on a radically different set up to generate electricity.
Photographer: James MacDonald/BloombergWind turbines have grown in size, but their form has largely stayed the same. A startup backed by the US Department of Defense and Bill Gates is among those looking to change that.
Airloom Energy Inc. received $13.75 million in financing to build a pilot in Wyoming to test its technology, the company announced on Tuesday. Lowercarbon Capital led a funding round that included Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures LLC for $7.5 million, with the rest coming from the state of Wyoming and the Department of Defense.