World’s most powerful flying wind turbine launched in western China

Between September 19 and 21, the airship-like S1500 – about the size of a basketball court and as tall as a 13-storey building – became the first turbine of its kind to generate one megawatt of power during a test flight at a desert site in China’s western Xinjiang region.

The trial involved assembly in desert conditions, pressure checks, and launch and retrieval in strong winds both day and night. “All planned goals were achieved,” according to Beijing-based start-up Sawes Energy Technology, one of the project’s main developers.

Dun Tianrui, the company’s CEO and chief designer, called it “a critical step towards putting the product into real-world use”. He said that further tests would be conducted in different regions and environments across the country, with mass production scehduled for 2026 and the first units expected to connect to the grid the same year.

“Our goal is to make airborne wind power a key part of affordable clean energy and contribute a Chinese solution to the world’s energy transition,” Dun said.

Unlike wind turbines that jut up from the ground like giant pinwheels, airborne wind turbines float on helium-filled shells that lift generators into the sky, delivering electricity back down through heavy-duty cables.

South China Morning Post