2024-03-23 10:57:24
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – There is a global energy crisis…so onshore wind farms are seen as a potential option for growth. Larger wind turbines produce more power than conventional ones, but their elements are too large to be transported by road.
What is the solution? Colorado-based energy startup Radia has an idea. It is developing the largest aircraft in the history of the aviation industry.
Meet the WindRunner, whose mission is to deliver giant 300-foot blades directly to wind farms.
To help the world meet its decarbonization goals, you’ll be using sustainable aviation fuel, and you’ll need a simple dirt or gravel runway to land on.
The plane will operate from regional hubs, Radia says, delivering when needed, and “it can land on airstrips up to 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) long, something no other large commercial aircraft can achieve.”
Where do the plane captain and his co-pilots sit…at the top? Credit: Radia
What about its specifications?
When it comes to transporting the largest payloads ever by air, a small plane just won’t be enough.
So the WindRunner will have 272,000 cubic feet of cargo space, enough to fit three Olympic-sized swimming pools. This is 12 times the size of a Boeing 747-400, and at 356 feet long, it is also 127 feet longer.
As for its wingspan, it reaches 261 feet, which is equivalent to four bowling lanes from start to finish.
It would also be larger than the Antonov An-225, the heaviest plane ever built, which was destroyed at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The plane’s size may be groundbreaking, but its engineering is not, by design. Radia says it focuses “on current technology, safety by using tried-and-true aerospace manufacturing materials, components and techniques, where applicable, that are FAA-approved, are already mass-produced, and are less risky.”
The goal is to land a fast, well-built fleet that meets aviation industry standards. Internet reports indicate that commercial operations will begin in 2027, but there is no confirmed timeline on Radia’s website. CNN contacted the company for comment.
Start-up Radia has patented a blade loading system for the WindRunner aircraft. Credit: Radia
Larger blades move for greater utility
Startup Radia is betting on estimates by research organization Bloomberg NEF that up to $10 trillion will be spent on onshore wind power by 2050. Development of WindRunner aims to enable GigaWind, XXL turbines manufactured by Radia’s partners, which include five of the six largest turbine manufacturers In the world.
Currently, turbine blades are 230 feet or less (70 meters) long, but Radia wants to put blades up to 104 meters (341 feet) long. The company says GigaWind turbines could be two to three times more powerful and two to three times more profitable than those used today.
But who are the people behind these ambitious claims? Founder and CEO Mark Lundstrom is a multi-industry entrepreneur and aerospace engineer at MIT who founded Radia in 2016. The company says its team of advisors includes former top brass from Boeing, MIT, Rolls-Royce and the FAA, as well as former officials such as the Secretary of Energy American Ernest Moniz, and former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
It’s a great lineup and the decision to focus on existing secure technology is a smart one. Could we see WindRunner launch before the end of the decade? Could its distinctive shape one day be as popular as Airbus’ Beluga XL transport planes?
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