INSPIRATION
Despite being one of the oldest energy resources, the rapidly evolving nature of the wind energy sector makes it one of the major trends. Startups are devising offshore and airborne wind turbines to reduce the demand for land-based wind energy. Innovations in this field often integrate with other energy sources such as floating wind turbines, solar, or tidal energy.To further improve efficiency, there are constant advances in the aerodynamic designs of the blades. Startups also develop efficient generators and turbines for high energy conversion.The sustainability of blade material is one of the challenges
the industry faces today. To tackle this, startups are creating bladeless technologies and recyclable thermoplastic materials to manufacture blades.
Based out of UAE, UK, and the US, Hydro Wind Energy provides a hybrid energy system. The startup’s product, OceanHydro, harnesses offshore altitude wind using kites or vertical axis wind rotors. It then combines wind energy production power from subsea oceanic pressure to obtain low-cost electrical energy and grid-scale storage. Since the energy from the subsea is available on-demand, such a hybrid solution is more reliable than offshore wind energy systems. This allows energy companies to maintain continuous and higher base load for the grid.
Helicoid is a US-based startup that provides enhanced blade quality during wind blade manufacturing. The enhanced blade is produced as a result of changes in stacking and rotation of sheets of parallel fibers to form a helicoid structure. These blades have higher resistance to impact, erosion, and fatigue while also possessing higher strength and stiffness. This, hence, reduces maintenance and downtime
costs as well as offers sustainable and energy-efficient blades
for large-scale windmills.
