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This is a follow up to the reports of a kite power collection system developed in the Netherlands and implemented in Ireland.
I attempted to find citations about parents in the US Patent Office web site, but a simple search using kite and power produced too many citations. I then tried advanced search with "wind and power and kite" but still got too many citations. This system ** must ** be patented, but it may be patented in Europe, with parents in the US later.
In any case, it is going to take more than my first attempts to find patents that must have been filed on this system. Too much money has been invested for the case to be otherwise.
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This post is inspired by one of Void's topics: https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=11189
In the new topic, Void reported on discovery of electricity produced by bending ice.
In the context of ** this ** topic about wind, and specifically the report of kites used to generate electricity in Ireland, it occurred to me that trees flex in the wind, and perhaps there is a way to capture electric current from that motion.
To take the kite example... The kites (apparently) present a broad surface to the wind when they are pulling on the generator cable, and they present a thin face to the wind when they are being pulled back to the start position. An artificial "tree" might be fitted with vanes that operate in a similar way, so that they are broad to the wind for the outward excursion, and rotated to be thin for the spring action return.
Power would be collected (somehow) on the outward excursion.
Artificial "trees" like this could be deployed in the path of hurricanes, so that energy might be collected when the supply of wind is abundant.
No doubt rotary windmills of various kinds could be deployed in a similar fashion, if they can be designed to withstand hurricane winds.
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We received another monthly report from Airloom...
All these reports are accompanied by images showing equipment or charts.
If a NewMars reader is interested in seeing the images, it might be possible to request your own copy of the monthly report from info@airloom.energy
Monthly Update from Airloom Energy - September 2025
InboxAirloom Energy <info@airloom.energy> Unsubscribe
Sep 19, 2025, 9:04PM (11 hours ago)header_2
Friends of Airloom,It’s been a busy summer for the Airloom team! While we’ve taken some time to be with family and friends, we’ve also continued the momentum on pilot site development, building coalitions, exploring our go-to-market pathways, and nearing a close on our seed extension.
$780 billion for renewables in 2025 (IEA)
Before we get to a new quick-hits format below, let’s take a look at the bigger picture for renewables – because HR1 (aka, OBBBA) isn’t the end of the story for wind.While the administration continues to impose U.S. clean energy setbacks – from stop work orders, to new land use restrictions, to lost government incentives – the global reality is that demand for wind and solar is still exceptionally high: an estimated $780 billion is poised for investment in renewables in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency.
That’s $20 billion more than in 2024, and it’s part of $2.2 trillion to be invested in clean energy globally, double the $1.1 trillion predicted for fossil fuels.
IEA energy investment chart
Image: Global energy investment figures from a 2025 International Energy Agency report.The U.S. is just one very thin slice of the worldwide industry pie, and we’ve been seeing this reality play out in Airloom’s day-to-day — for our seed extension, in our conversations with hyperscalers and data center infrastructure energy developers, and in the interest that continues to roll in from Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Chile, and Norway.
Despite the funky market dynamics at home, Airloom remains on track to achieve our seed milestones: a validated power curve, capex estimates, and customer traction. Maintaining diligence in these areas will set us up for selling megawatts in 2026.
? September Snapshot
Highlights
– Pilot site survey is complete, foundation locations are marked ahead of pouring next month
– An in-depth Airloom explainer article from Interesting Engineering
– A byline from Neal published in North American Clean EnergyBumps in the Road
– Administration-wide efforts to block wind projects
– Airloom was not selected for the two SBIR Phase IIs we submitted in August. Phase II’s have become more competitive, with more applicants, over the past several cycles. Will apply again when the next round is announced
– Behind schedule on pilot site commissioning. Completion now anticipated in November (previously October).mark-1
Commercial Update
We’re continuing to make progress in three pathways to commercialization:Hyperscalers: Conversations with potential partners continues, they are in a technical due diligence. We’re looking for intros to Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Amazon, and Oracle, if you have any contacts here and are open to making a call, please reply to this email.
Data center energy infrastructure developers: We’re now speaking to three different developers who are interested in being part of our 2027 commercial demos.
Department of Defense interest: Airloom’s existing partnership with U.S. Air Force and Space Force has been recently expanded to now include new connections with U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the Contested Logistics Cross Functional Team (CL CFT). These represent multiple avenues for collaboration with the DoD, and we expect it to remain a strong path toward revenue-generating projects.
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Pilot Site Report
Last month, we showed you the progress on our control station, access road, and laydown parking at the Airloom pilot site in Rock River, WY. Since then, we’ve completed a survey and site layout, defining where we'll be installing the Airloom stadium-shaped track ?We’re also planning to mobilize the foundation contractor at the end of this month. We’re using drilled caissons with tower base imbeds. The tower prep is taking place at the Laramie shop with assembly planning underway.
The team is aiming for completion of the stadium structure by November 15, which is the recommended date to finish this work to avoid disruption of seasonal wildlife migration, according to our friends at the Wyoming Game & Fish Department.
Trade-offs and adjustments like these are super exciting for the Airloom team, as it means we’re integrating critical pieces of what system deployments will look like as we scale to future sites.
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Technical Progress
After several months of testing with Test Stand D, Test Stand B, and now Test Stand A - the test stands have all been consolidated into the final testing location. This is a great milestone for the team that demonstrates the operations of these machines in a safe and controlled manner, confirming the mechanical, electrical, and software performance required for the pilot program.As a quick review, we plan to move the electrical drives, brake electronics, load banks, and generators from the test stands to the pilot site and use them for the pilot hardware. The test stands allow the team to run the machines with the same hardware that we plan to use at the pilot site.
Airloom sept update, img1
Figure: All three Airloom test stands within the final testing locationAll three test stands are commissioned (ready to operate) and Test Stand A is going through its test plan from low to high power and various tensions in the belt. So far, the team has successfully run 37.5kW at the motor input, which is 150kW divided by 4 generators, and achieved multiple successful 8hr (one shift) runs at 100%, 50% and 25% expected tension.
Below is a screenshot from the operator station tracking power in/out, tensions in the three belts, as well as temperature at select locations, and a belt sensor that stops the test if the belt fails. The output of this test showed the entire system had high efficiency at 100% tension and max power. It should be noted that for the 50% and 25% tension cases the belt’s efficiency did not change significantly.
Test Stand D motor/generator efficiencies resulted in 95.1% efficiency at this power and speed setting, as well as the friction from the 42” idler belt assembly. The team was able to back out the efficiency of the belt at 92%. This is a very important milestone for the team, as this shows us how much of the power is transferred through the system, and reinforces our initial belt efficiency estimates at 96% efficiency (which were based on discussions with several belt companies’ technical teams’ estimates). This result will be used to update our simulation for power output from the system.
The next set of tests will focus on a slightly higher power input to the motor at 50kW, which is what we’ll see at the pilot site. Since we know the efficiency of the system, this allows for 37.5kW output from the generator side of Test Stand A. Initial testing shows very similar efficiencies, but we will run these tests to completion before drawing any official results to be used in our simulation.
Airloom sept update, img2
Figure: Test Stand A operations stationExternally from the Test Stand recording the team has a calibrated sound measurement device that logs the sound recorded within 15ft of Test Stand A running. The image below on the left is the calibrated sound measurement while the image on the right is an uncalibrated measurement application that also logs the peak frequency output.
Screenshot 2025-09-18 10.33.11 AM
Figure: Noise measurements.(left = calibrated instrument, right = phone app w/ frequencies shown, not calibrated)
After the 8hr tests are completed, the test plan calls for visual inspections and thermal inspections. Below are examples of thermal inspection results showing (1) 65mm bearings and (2) belt thermal equilibrium after 8hr in a 27C-31C (morning vs. afternoon) ambient temperature. Good news – the results below [125F = 51.6C (left) and 105F = 40.6C (right)] are within acceptable limits for the parts selected for the Test Stand A and for the pilot project.
Screenshot 2025-09-18 10.36.37 AM
Figure: Thermal results from 65mm bearings and belt after 8hr continuous testingSince the last update, we have also received the first 26m, 220mm wide belts that we plan to use on the pilot. Thus far, we’ve only had smaller sections of belts to test, so these longer sections are being tested at a representative tension for the pilot system and measured the sag at 5 inches, as well as the dampening characteristics of a belt of this size, weight, shape and stiffness.
Below are a few images of that video clip where we are beginning to understand the dynamic characteristics of belts of this size. This early stage test was largely exploratory to get a general feel of the belt before actually installing for a proper pilot system test, but the measured sag and dampening characteristics gave the design team new insight: while we have rollers on the curves, we should also now incorporate a few rollers that can be positioned along the straight sections of Airloom’s stadium-shaped track.
These should be modified from their curve-roller counterparts to have bottom rollers that minimize dynamic motion (in the direction of sky/nadir). We’re adding these new roller types to our list of flexible hardware that can be added if needed during the testing phase of the pilot project. This may add schedule and cost that were accounted for in the end of the track rollers, but not for the sag characteristics of the belt, which depends on the number of travelers (driven by budget constraints).
Screenshot 2025-09-18 10.40.52 AM
Figure: Belt sag and tensioned belt dampening characteristic testingIn the previous update the team included initial tensile test results for the belt pin splice. Since that update, the team has designed a mechanical attachment that spreads the loads from the traveler to the belt, utilizing the pins from the previous update as the main interface. This work will help us control the belt on the pilot system. The CAD image of that design is shown below.
Screenshot 2025-09-18 10.42.29 AM
Figure: CAD model of splice + chain assemblyThe team has since produced the chain link assembly and is in the process of cutting a new belt to test it in tensile before it is shipped off to be tested in Test Stand B and then Test Stand A (two different spliced belt test articles). Below is a clear view of the chain link assembly showing a straight configuration (top) and then a curved configuration (bottom) to allow for the belt to curve around the rollers on the curved section of the track.
Screenshot 2025-09-18 10.43.48 AM
Figure: Straight and Curved states of the chain in the belt splice? Airloom's Fundamental Truths, Part 1
Last month, we shared the list of Airloom’s 10 fundamental truths that guide every design and manufacturing decision. Today, we’re spotlighting the first one, which shows up in our culture and operations everywhere from weekly team meetings to physical designs to customer project planning.
Simplicity Drives Reliability and Scale
Our team’s decades of experience in energy and tech have taught us that the simplest system that gets the job done will be the easiest to manufacture, deploy, operate, and maintain at scale. Unnecessary complexity—like active controls, sensors, or bespoke parts—decreases reliability and increases failure points.
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Upcoming Priorities
▶️ What's NextNext week, we’ll be on the ground for New York Climate Week, with an exhibit at the New Lab’s New Climate Futures event on Thursday, Sept. 25. Register to attend and say hello to Neal!
In the meantime, we’ll continue to work toward closing our seed extension before STRATFI applications are due on October 3. Everything else on the horizon:
Considering 2026 construction kickoff for our 2027 Commercial Demo, to ensure we qualify for ITC/PTC
Getting to commercial terms with our pilot customer
Sub-system testing, continued — this remains a key de-risking step before full system integration
Critical Design Review
Awaiting selection decisions for SXSW 2026
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On the Calendar
September 22-26: New York Climate Week, exhibiting at Newlab’s New Climate Futures event on Sept. 25.
October 11: Energy Day: Cowboy Football, University of Wyoming
October 13: Rotary Club Presentation in Casper, Wyoming
October 14: City of Laramie Council Work Session Presentation (Wyoming)
October 16: Wyoming Global Tech Summit
October 28-30: Verge25 in San Jose, CA
November 6: Defense Tech and Dual Use Conference, San Francisco, CA
November 16-17: TEDxBoston Planet Action 2025Keep up with us between now and our next newsletter by following our LinkedIn!
Thank you, as always, for your support of the Airloom mission. See you again in October.
—Team Airloom
The next era of resilient energy
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if the images are important upload them to the php3 site
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For SpaceNut re #29
Thanks for the encouragement to try to find a way for our readers to see the pictures!
I wrote to Airloom to ask about possible access to the emails from the web site:
Hello!
First, thank you for sending your monthly updates to newmarsmember@gmail.com.
I am a (Junior) moderator for newmars.com. We are an affiliate of the Mars Society, Dr. Robert Zubrin founder, and James Burk,Executive Director.
I publish a screen scrape of the text of the email in a topic about wind energy capture.
Our forum is unable to print pictures included in an email. The forum ** can ** show pictures, if they are linked correctly, using BBCode links.
Second:
We got an inquiry today from a reader wanting to see the pictures that go with the email. I went to your web site and do not see a way to pull up the monthly report there.
If you ** do ** provide a way for my readers to access the email from your web site, please let me know and I'll publish the information.
Third:
Best wishes for success with your venture! It occurred to me that Ireland may be a useful site for you to investigate for a test site. We published a report of an innovative kite based wind energy collection system recently. My recollection is that the inventors are based in The Netherlands, and they chose Ireland for a successful demo because of the steady winds there.
Fourth:
In thinking about good locations for your system, it occurred to me that weather must be a problem for all wind devices... I have missed any discussion about ice accumulation on the metal blades of your system, so hope you will include a brief discussion of how weather will affect your system.
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We received the October edition of Airloom's Monthly report:
The report includes a link to an industry report on the venture:
https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/wi … e=hs_email
Monthly Update from Airloom Energy - September 2025
Neal Rickner <neal@airloom.energy> Unsubscribe
Oct 30, 2025, 12:17PM (19 hours ago)Investors and Advisors,
We’re sharing our October update with you on the heels of some exciting pilot site progress, commercial momentum, and a few team changes. Let’s get down to business!
October Snapshot
Highlights
– Foundations are poured at the pilot site and tower installation has begun!
– Factor This published an in-depth, complementary Airloom feature - check it out!
– Pilot site at 14% progress with foundations complete.Bumps in the Road
– Looming Nov. 15 deadline to finish pilot site construction, per Wyoming Game & Fish recommendationAirloom featured in Factor This
Stemming from Neal’s conversation with Factor This content director Paul Gerke at RE+ last month, this article takes a thorough look at Airloom’s “new way to do wind.”What if there was another way to do wind? Startup piloting simple, modular, lower-profile design
In it, they feature a few of the things that make Airloom unique, and that positions us as a company poised to bring much needed disruption to the wind energy sector:
⚙️ Materials and modularity: “Airloom Energy’s next-gen offering has [an] upper hand over typical turbine designs: it’s modular. That means if a particular project needs a scale change, it’s no sweat.”
Size isn’t everything, but it matters: “Airloom Energy [has] some siting flexibility that other wind developers don’t have, simplifying permitting processes and opening up otherwise unusable terrain.”
Air inspired, rooted in reality: “...wind generation technology that is much more cost and space-efficient than those currently at scale.”
Offshore applications and growing to gigawatts: Neal’s rally came through loud and clear: “We think we can get to gigawatts by 2028. It’s a bold claim, but the math says if this pilot’s successful, and we take a year to kind of refine some stuff, then we just go… And if we can build gigawatts and gigawatts in just the next couple of years, let’s go do that.”
Read the full article, and give us a shout (or a share) with your thoughts!
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Commercial Update
We’ve also brought on Aevit Solutions (they led our successful pilot site development) to begin the process for identifying potential sites and partners for our 2027 commercial demos.It is full steam ahead to start construction before July 4, 2026, to qualify for the remaining IRA tax incentives. And the momentum it’s driving is tangible – folks are coming to the table now to understand how they can be part of Airloom’s commercial sprint.
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Pilot Site & Technical Progress
This month we focused on fabrication and assembly of the track and towers. To get to this point the team has to complete the design, analysis and finally publish the technical details in drawings to ensure we fabricate the assembly efficiently and to plan.As seen below, the track rails have been fabricated using a low-cost, reusable scribe tool and contain details like hole dimensions and tolerances along with counterbore details and track-to-track connection details.
Airloom Oct update, img1
Figure: Track rails fabrication preparing for first track assemblyThe track gauge is maintained utilizing vertical track ties shown below. These track ties have been engineered for back-to-back assembly for the straights and roller integration around the curves, which allows the team to produce all track ties from the same part number. All parts are bent sheet metal utilizing state of the art laser cutting, automated deburring (smoothing rough edges), and CNC bent machines. Each track tie takes about 4 minutes to cut, deburr and bend.
This is a first principle at Airloom, to reduce overall system cost by making the same part in a cost-effective, repeatable way.
Airloom Oct update, img2
Figure: QTY 14 Vertical track ties for the first track assemblyThe towers are being assembled with their bent sheet metal parts. Below are the first fit check of the saddle flanges on the top of the tower. These carry the ultimate and fatigue loads from the traveler, through the saddle to the towers. The team has moved swiftly to locate, drill, and assemble this first article. Now we are going to make all the towers’ flanges to install and erect at the site.
Airloom Oct update, img3
Figure: Tower flanges fit check - ready for productionAdditionally the 16”, 42ft long towers require basic reinforcement at the base due to the moments (where rotational force happens) of the 30ft wings that attach to the rail at the top. These gussets and flanges will carry the loads from the tower into the foundations.
Airloom Oct update, img5
Figure: Tower base with gussets and flanges? Reporting from the Pilot Site
The building continues! After years of design, modelling, and preparation, we’re cruising into month four of our pilot site development. Our foundation contractor and survey team have just completed the locating, digging and concrete pouring for 60 total foundation holes: 20 for the columns, and 40 for the guy wire foundations.
Airloom Oct update, img6
Figure: Bolt cage set for concrete pour into the foundation holeAirloom Oct update, img7
Figure: A number of tower foundations set with concreteWe will allow the concrete to cure for its recommended seven days, while the team finishes tower build up. The build up consists of tower gusset installations (crucial for structural stability), guy wire and saddle flanges riveted to the towers.
Then - we paint the towers! And guy wire cables will continue to be assembled.
Screenshot 2025-10-20 8.09.06 AM
Figure: (Left) Painted guy wire brackets; (Right) Painted saddle flangesAirloom Oct update, img7
Figure: Guy wire assembly startedThe straight track sections have started their assembly process. The curved track section box beams are about 90% complete with the bending process. They will be shipped to our assembly partner for assembly and paint, before being shipped to the project site for installation.
Screenshot 2025-10-20 8.14.44 AM
Screenshot 2025-10-20 8.14.57 AM
Figures: Bent Box Beam for curved track sectionsCarbon Power & Light, a Wyoming-regional power company, will be replacing a transformer and moving the power pole. This will allow the Ground Control Station (GCS) to have grid power all the time. This will benefit security when the pilot is unmanned as well as assist with remote operations / troubleshooting during operations.
We remain in close communication with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department as we near their recommended November 15 deadline to complete or pause construction ahead of winter wildlife migrations and activity. Management of our site development will include week-by-week and day-by-day adjustments with our point of contact to ensure we reach necessary milestones in alignment with department guidance.
With this work, we’ve reached 14% completion at the pilot site, completing the first of seven total phases. This initial groundwork and surveying allows us to move swiftly through our development schedule, maintaining our estimated 85% faster deployment than traditional HAWTs.
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The Word from Wyoming
This week, we also enjoyed some extra immersion throughout the Cowboy State. From supporting Energy Day at the University of Wyoming football game, to visiting with the Casper Rotary Club, to our in-depth work session at the Laramie City Council – we always love spending time with the strong, resilient community that calls Wyoming home!Our biggest takeaway: Folks are eager to see Airloom in action.
Through all the great memories made with Airloomers at these events, we also had to share a bittersweet farewell to our Director of Operations, Sam Farstad. After a little more than a year of his support, for which we’re immensely grateful, he’s stepping back into the world of construction.
This month, we welcome Laramie-based Phoebe Killea to the team! Phoebe brings her years of Project Management experience to our Operations, after building hardware installation and integration workflows at Plenty, a vertical farming startup focused on cleaner food production. She’ll be a key enabler on the team as we continue to accelerate through our pilot site into 2026 commercial construction. Welcome Phoebe!
Airloom's Fundamental Truths, Part 2
In this month’s installment, we’re spotlighting the second fundamental truth that guides Airloom’s unique design and manufacturing philosophies: Passive (“Dumb”) Systems Are Preferable to Active Ones in Bulk Hardware
We thoughtfully leverage physics (like gravity, tension, and aerodynamics) wherever possible, instead of adding mechanical or electrical complexity.
Everything we build that’s at a higher volume (e.g., wings), we do so with “passive” solutions—e.g., fixed geometries and self-aligning elements instead of actuators, motors, or computer controls.
We call it “dumb” designs: keeping each component simple and easy to manufacture and assemble to minimize the chances of malfunction or damage.
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Upcoming Priorities
▶️ What's NextNext month, Neal will be speaking at the TEDx Planet Action event in Boston. Reach out if you'll be in the area and would like to be in the audience!
What else is on the horizon:
Pilot site construction
Sprinting toward 2026 construction kickoff for our 2027 Commercial Demo, to ensure we qualify for ITC/PTC
Critical Design Review
Awaiting selection decisions for SXSW 2026
Verge25 in San Jose, Oct. 28-30Sub-system testing also continues, a key de-risking step before full system integration. The final tests to run are for the final splice design within Test Stand A (at full load, full speed) and Test Stand B (fatigue). While we would like to run them longer, we are constrained by construction deadlines and funding.
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On the Calendar
This week, October 28-30: Verge25 in San Jose, CA
November 6: Defense Tech and Dual Use Conference, San Francisco, CA
November 16-17: TEDxBoston Planet Action 2025We’re nearing the end of 2025, but there’s nothing slowing down for Airloom. Full speed ahead as we build and validate, thanks for joining us on such a pivotal chapter of our journey.
Keep up with us between now and our next newsletter by following our LinkedIn!
See you again in November.
—Team Airloom
The next era of resilient energy
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