What's Up With Wyoming's Crazy New Wind Turbine?

Wyoming is the site of the first utility-scale test of an innovative wind turbine developed by Airloom Energy, a local startup focused on drastically reducing the cost of wind power. Supported initially by a $225,000 NSF Small Business Innovation Research grant in 2016, Airloom aims to produce electricity at just 2.8 cents per kWh by using a radically different design that minimizes blade size and lowers transportation, maintenance, and land costs. Their turbine features blades that rotate around a low-to-the-ground oval track rather than a traditional horizontal axis atop tall towers, addressing common aesthetic objections to wind farms and enabling more flexible site placement despite lower wind speeds at reduced altitudes. Since its inception, Airloom has secured significant funding, including $750,000 from NSF in 2017, a $4 million seed round in 2023 backed by Bill Gates–affiliated Breakthrough Energy Ventures and others, plus $5 million from Wyoming’s Energy Matching Funds and a $1.25 million