Looks like an airship, acts like a windmill. Engineer says China on brink of turbine leap

Chinese scientists expect to soon make a breakthrough in airborne wind turbine technology, with the world’s first megawatt-level system set to take flight, according to the project team.

The floating wind power generation system resembles an airship and is being held up as a possible power solution for remote locations and disaster zones where conventional power supplies cannot be used or are inadequate.

The researchers said their system’s output – more than 30 times more powerful than the best in other countries – could turn a scientific vision first proposed in 1957 by renowned scientist Qian Xuesen into a tangible reality.

In a lecture hosted by Beijing Radio and Television Station on August 17, Weng Hanke, chief technology officer of Beijing SAWES Energy Technology Company, announced that the firm’s latest power generation unit, with a capacity of 1MW, was preparing for a test flight.

The system was developed by SAWES in collaboration with Tsinghua University and the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

01:19

China breaks ground on world’s largest hydropower dam in Tibet

China breaks ground on world’s largest hydropower dam in Tibet

In January, at a test base in Jiangxi province, an earlier iteration – a 30-metre long, 15-metre wide (100 foot by 50 foot) white airship – steadily ascended to an altitude of 1,000 metres and hovered in the wind, transmitting electricity to the ground and proving the feasibility of the technology at a smaller scale.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Trump says China must ensure rare earth magnets or face 200% tariffs

Trump says China must ensure rare earth magnets or face 200% tariffs

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that China must ensure the US supply of rare earth magnets or face 200 per cent tariffs, and that he will continue to allow Chinese students into the country. “They have to give us magnets,” otherwise “we have to charge them 200 per cent tariff or something”, Trump

26 August 2025
China’s Hangzhou makes AI classes compulsory in schools amid nationwide push

China’s Hangzhou makes AI classes compulsory in schools amid nationwide push

Hangzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province, will introduce mandatory artificial intelligence (AI) courses for primary and secondary schools starting in the new semester – part of a nationwide strategy to nurture talent in the rapidly growing sector. The initiative seeks to build a talent pipeline while improving educators’ ability to use smart tools and protect data,

26 August 2025
Brett LoGiurato

Trump says 15% tariff on South Korea will stay as massive India duties loom

President Trump on Monday said a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea will hold despite President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Washington, D.C. “We stuck to our guns,” the president said after the meeting. The two countries struck a trade deal in July, allowing South Korea to avoid a stiffer 25% tariff, but tensions

26 August 2025
Xi’an, Where Ancient Culture Meets Smart Future

Science and Technology Daily: Xi’an, Where Ancient Culture Meets Smart Future

XI’AN, China, Aug. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Xi’an in northwest China, where the ancient Silk Road began, now symbolizes China’s fusion of heritage and innovation. Part of our “Into Tech Park” series, this edition explores how technology fuels inclusive growth through the eyes of international students and entrepreneurs. Initiatives like the China-Europe Railway Express and

25 August 2025
Inmerso en negociar con Putin para llevar el alto el fuego a la guerra en Ucrania y en fijar aranceles a más de medio mundo, Donald Trump todavía no ha definido su política espacial ni ha nombrado un nuevo responsable de la NASA - PHOTO/Kremlin

China accelerates its pace to reach the Moon before the return of the United States

Beijing is making steady progress towards the Moon A decapitated and bewildered NASA faces a renewed CNSA Alarm bells rang in the White House during the first half of August, as well as at the headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Washington and at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The

25 August 2025