You are on page 1of 14

High Altitude

Wind Energy
for Remote Sites
Contact: Adam Rein, Co-Founder and CFO
Phone: +1 (857) 244 1560
Email: adam.rein@altaerosenergies.com

Off-grid Energy Challenge


$18 billion market for off-grid generator fuel (2010)
Diesel Generators

Fuel Transport Afghanistan

Key Market Segments


US Army 6,600 large gensets

Industrial 2,700 oil & gas sites, mining


Villages

island, arctic, post-disaster


25,000 gallons of annual fuel per 100kW

Diesel for generator costs up to 10x grid power


2

Current Wind Turbine Limitations


Wind Farms

Wind Resource (80m)

Limited sites with strong


ground winds

Steel towers too expensive


or permanent at remote sites
3

Team Formed at MIT


Leadership Team
Ben Glass, Technology
Inventor, Altaeros AWT
MIT Aero / Astro, S.M.

Board of Advisors
Prof. Sheila Widnall, Wind & Aero
MIT Aero / Astro Institute Professor
18th U.S. Secretary of the Air Force

Julian Nott, Aero


C. Vermillion, PhD Controls
Toyota Technical Center
Michigan EE PHD

Secretary, AIAA Balloon Technical Committee


Airship Expert, 81 World Balloon Records

Mauricio Quintana, Wind Turbine OEM

Alain Goubau, Operations


Air Liquide
Harvard JD

Former President & CEO, Clipper Windpower


Former Director, Corporate Strategy, UTC

Scott Fisher, Customers & Policy


Director of Policy Coordination, NRG Energy

Adam Rein, Business Dev.


Bain & Co
MIT MBA / Harvard MPA

Peter Steenland, FAA & Permitting


Counsel, FAA & Environment, Sidley Austin
4

Strong High Altitude Winds


Wind Power Density

5-8x

Wind Power Maps


2,000 ft - High altitude

350ft - Tower-mounted

2.2x
1x

Source: Joby, Archer, Stanford, 2009

100ft
Source: NOAA

350ft

1,000ft+

Average power density in kW/m2


0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0
5

Tethered Aerostat Technology


Safe & Reliable

Rapid Deployment, FAA regulation applies

Builds on proven aerospace technology


6

Altaeros Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT)

Access strong, high


winds
Rapid, low cost
deployment
Passively aligns into wind
Shell accelerates wind flow
through rotor
Automated altitude change
to optimize power,
docks in poor weather
Deploy from container

Technical Milestones
35-foot Prototype Loring, Maine (2012)

Ascended to 350 feet, produced power at altitude, and landed in automated cycle

Generate over 2x power from top-selling Southwest turbine when lifted to high altitude
Test Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsHUALU--Wc

4 Patents Pending
Patent 1 (2009)

Patent 2&3 (2011)

Patent 4 (2012)

Novel Shell and


Overall Design

Automated controls
& docking trailer

System
integration

Future IP
Lightweight turbine,
optimized power
production & controls

2011 Technology Validation

Winner ConocoPhillips Energy Prize


USDA SBIR Phase I grant
DOE ARPA-E Innovation Showcase
California Energy Commission grant

IP protection through shell, trailer & automation innovation


9

Off-grid Value Proposition


Off-Grid Customer Benefits

100kW AWT - Cost per kWh

Wind
(Tower)

Solar
PV

0.6

$6-7

$6-12

$6-10

0.4

Cap. Factor

50-60%

15-30%

15-20%

Install (days)

<1

30

Payback
(no subsidy)

6month2 years

4-8
years

4-8
years

100kW
Cost/Watt

Altaeros

$.35-3.00
$.25-.50

0.2
0

$.18-.20

450kWh/yr

700kWh/yr

Altaeros Northern Diesel


Wind
Gen
Equipment

3-5x more energy than todays turbine

130kWh/yr

Install

O&M / Cost

Assumptions: Diesel Fuel - $8 per gallon


20 year project w/ equipment replacement

Towerless setup lowers logistics cost 80%


Retrofits onto generator to automatically
save fuel when wind is blowing
Airborne camera and radio adds value

Your technology [is] one of the few wind


energy developments that can satisfy our
need for continuous power generation at
minimal size and weight. -- Jon Cristiani,
Renewable Energy Team Leader,
U.S. Army CERDEC
10

Long-term Offshore Market Potential

$14 billion market (EU 2020)

Current Offshore Wind Cost (15-25 / kwh)


Dev't
4%

Other Operations &


12% Maintenance
21%

Electrical
Infrastructure
11%
15% CAGR

Wind Turbine
28%

Logistics &
installation
10%
Support
Structure
13%

AWT Advantage (8-10 / kwh)


Tow to and from site for install/O&M
No foundation, much smaller turbine size
Tighter space, less natural gas backup
Source: EWEA, NREL 2010.

11

Airspace, Safety and Environment

FAA published draft


policy allowing airborne
wind turbines to be sited
under existing regulation
Thousands of aerostats
have been permitted to
date, many up to
15,000 feet altitude

Mandatory safety features


ensure slow descent in
emergency
AWT docks and operates
from trailer during storms
and inclement weather
Lightning-proof tethers &
easy repair of holes.

The towerless design of


airborne turbines dramatically
reduces all types of
potential habitat impacts.
Normandeau Associates
University of Maine survey88% of rural respondents
see Altaeros AWT as
visually same or better as
tower-mounted turbine.
Low noise impact from high
altitude and shrouded design.

12

Emerging High Altitude Wind Sector


2009

2012
FAA publishes draft
airborne wind regulation
GL Garrad Hassan
High Altitude Wind
Market Report
March 2011
Popular Mechanics Cover
Stanford Airborne
Wind Energy
Conference

ARPA-E funds Makani,


sector reaches ~$100
million investment
Stanford report: high
altitude wind can
power earth 100x over
13

Summary

$18 Billion market to displace


off-grid diesel fuel
Harness winds 5-8x stronger

60% avg. lower cost than gensets


Low capital need & customer risk

Grid competitive offshore potential

14

You might also like