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Beijing SAWES Energy Technology, in collaboration with Tsinghua University and the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences , has developed the helium-fuelled S500 airship, equipped with an airborne wind turbine capable of generating to kW at an altitude of 500 m.
PowerTrends 2025
The principle behind the concept is that wind profiles are stronger and more constant at altitude than they are at ground level. SAWES said that the “500 could be scaled up to operate at 1000 m and generate 100 kW.
SAWES said that it has also developed the S1500, an airship with a 1 MW generating capacity operating at an altitude of 1500 m. The S1500 contains 12 generators in the middle of its duct, operating simultaneously. The generators are made of carbon fibre to reduce weight, each system weighing less than 1 tonne.
The wind energy is converted to electricity in the airship and transmitted to the ground via a cable alongside a mooring cable.
SAWES said that the rapid deployment capability of the S500 made it a resource for rescue operations and power supply to disaster-hit regions.