Companies Looking to "Supersize" Production of Wind and Solar
Global electricity demand is on the rise, with this comes the need to innovate and create a viable solution. Several startups are creating outlandish plans that seem unlikely to succeed; however, these companies are confident and think that their ideas will revolutionize the energy sector. The following are two examples:
1. Wind Turbine Jumbo Jet
A significant challenge for wind farm developers is moving huge turbine parts to rural areas. Over the last eight years, a startup company called Radia has been designing and developing a jumbo aircraft with the ability to carry a single turbine blade that could be 50% longer than those currently being used at wind farms (20-80 meters). Challenges include the size of the plane and the ability to land on gravel runways in rural areas. Radia has partnered with various aerospace companies to develop different aspects of the aircraft with the hope of resolving these challenges. The company intends to begin manufacturing later this year.
2. Solar Satellites
The problem with solar panels is that they cannot harvest sunlight when the sun is down. A U.K based firm called Space Solar is engineering a solar array in orbit that would beam electricity via low-frequency radio waves. “The sun always shines in space”, said co-CEO Sam Adlen. The idea seems very outlandish but if successful it would be renewable energy that is available to even the most remote communities in the world. The concept has been around for decades, including a 1970s NASA technical feasibility study about space-based solar power. It has only recently become economically viable to test the idea, as the cost of launching equipment into space has fallen significantly over the last decade.
These ideas can one day change the energy sector for the better. In the meantime, Borrum Energy Solutions designs microgeneration wind turbines and towers that provide an opportunity to invest in clean and renewable energy. Our turbines and towers reduce diesel/propane costs, carbon emissions, and dependence on the electrical grid.