Windworks

AI Quick Summary

Windworks is a spin-off project at EPFL focused on democratising wind power and creating a sustainable future through intelligent and affordable vertical-axis wind turbines.We are looking to identify opportunities for our smart and affordable turbines to provide energy autonomy to Swiss businesses and communities. The pitch Windworks created the world’s first real-time control system for wind turbine blades, empowering accessible and affordable clean energy. Our real-time blade control system actively adjusts the orientation of turbine blades in real-time response to local wind conditions using embedded sensors and a data-driven algorithm to enhance turbine performance and electricity cost. The pain Over 95% of wind power comes from large, utility-scale turbines. At that scale, wind turbines offer the lowest cost of electricity of energy system. At smaller commercial and industrial scales, there are no economically viable wind turbines available. Several stakeholders suffer from the lack of on-site clean power production. Energy-intensive industries, communities and farmers face increasingly volatile and high electricity costs, and regulations regarding their carbon emissions. Currently, the only sustainable on-site power option is photovoltaics, which produce 67% less electricity in winter compared to summer. The lack of an affordable distributed wind power solution forces stakeholders to rely on carbon-intensive and expensive grid power or fossil-based generators. Energy security is another risk, especially in developing countries, where power use may be restricted to specific operating time frames. The unique solution We leverage recent advances in on-board sensors and the advent of miniature and affordable microcontrollers to build the first real-time blade control system for vertical-axis wind turbines. These smart wind turbines are quiet, fauna friendly and require only a third of the space compared to traditional turbines. They provide socially attractive wind power and thrive in a wide spectrum of wind conditions, enabling on-site power production. Our laboratory proof-of-concept achieved industry-leading efficiency, with power coefficients surpassing the 0.5 mark, and demonstrated resilience to strong wind conditions. Wind energy is recognised as a key climate change mitigation technology. It offers the lowest cost of electricity among all energy harvesting systems and has the potential to produce over 30 times the global demand for electricity. Modern wind turbines achieve a carbon payback time of just 7 months, and 85% to 90% of their total mass can be recycled. By developing affordable, commercial-scale wind turbine solutions for on-site power production, we aim to democratize the technology and accelerate its large-scale implementation. History Windworks is an EPFL spin-off, emerging from a productive phase of academic research from 2018 to 2023. During this period, we achieved significant breakthroughs with our lab turbine prototype, notably a threefold increase in power efficiency and a 70% reduction in structural wear under high wind conditions. In October 2023 we officially launched as a startup, led by co-founders Sebastien Le Fouest and Daniel Fernex, driven by our mission to help wind turbine manufacturers design efficient and robust units.Our proof-of-concept findings were published in Nature Communications in April 2024, gaining global media attention and generating significant interest in our technology. This media attention revealed a clear demand for on-site wind power production, powering energy intensive sites such as manufacturing, water treatment plants and farming. Our new, wider and more ambitious purpose is to democratise wind power and create a sustainable future through smart turbine technology. This mission encompasses our two offerings that are further detailed in the below business model section.Our business models A control software licence at CHF 70k per megawatt of installed capacity to help wind turbine manufacturers ensure safe turbine operation, extending turbine lifetime from 15 to 25 years of operation, and reducing their offered cost of electricity by 20 to 55%. A commercial-scale wind turbine with real-time blade control to enable energy autonomy from clean and affordable on-site power production. Our 30-meter tall 100kW wind turbine achieves an electricity cost <10 cts/kWh, making it the first economically viable commercial scale wind power solution. Benefits of smart wind turbines for on-site power production Industry-leading cost of electricity for commercial-scale wind energy applications. Our intelligent control framework enables high-efficiency, long-lasting wind turbines, reducing their cost of electricity to ≥ CHF 6 cts/kWh. Energy independence and security. Commercial-scale wind power solutions work in harmony with photovoltaics to ensure an evenly distributed generation profile throughout the year. With integrated storage solutions, energy-intensive industries and communities achieve full energy autonomy and gain complete control over their power costs and availability.We have plans to grow our team to create a high functioning and highly diverse team, over 20 members strong by 2028.We plan to secure a 300-500k pre-seed round, by March 2025. Energy Lab could help us lay the foundations of our commercial scale wind turbine with high product market fit based on client interaction and their power needs. Energy Lab could support us with this client interaction through their network.Switzerland has only 39 wind turbines supplying 0.2% of the country’s electricity consumption. The federal council stated this figure should reach 7% by 2050 to ensure the country’s energetic sovereignty, particularly in the winter when electricity demands peak and solar panels supply their lowest yield. At Windworks, we plan to play an important role in achieving this target.

Project Idea Metadata

Project Idea Name: Windworks
Date: 8/1/2024 4:31:39 PM
Administrators:
- Matt Taylor

Project Idea Description

The pitch

Windworks created the world’s first real-time control system for wind turbine blades, empowering accessible and affordable clean energy. Our real-time blade control system actively adjusts the orientation of turbine blades in real-time response to local wind conditions using embedded sensors and a data-driven algorithm to enhance turbine performance and electricity cost.

The pain

Over 95% of wind power comes from large, utility-scale turbines. At that scale, wind turbines offer the lowest cost of electricity of energy system. At smaller commercial and industrial scales, there are no economically viable wind turbines available. Several stakeholders suffer from the lack of on-site clean power production. Energy-intensive industries, communities and farmers face increasingly volatile and high electricity costs, and regulations regarding their carbon emissions. Currently, the only sustainable on-site power option is photovoltaics, which produce 67% less electricity in winter compared to summer. The lack of an affordable distributed wind power solution forces stakeholders to rely on carbon-intensive and expensive grid power or fossil-based generators. Energy security is another risk, especially in developing countries, where power use may be restricted to specific operating time frames.

The unique solution

We leverage recent advances in on-board sensors and the advent of miniature and affordable microcontrollers to build the first real-time blade control system for vertical-axis wind turbines. These smart wind turbines are quiet, fauna friendly and require only a third of the space compared to traditional turbines. They provide socially attractive wind power and thrive in a wide spectrum of wind conditions, enabling on-site power production. Our laboratory proof-of-concept achieved industry-leading efficiency, with power coefficients surpassing the 0.5 mark, and demonstrated resilience to strong wind conditions.

Wind energy is recognised as a key climate change mitigation technology. It offers the lowest cost of electricity among all energy harvesting systems and has the potential to produce over 30 times the global demand for electricity. Modern wind turbines achieve a carbon payback time of just 7 months, and 85% to 90% of their total mass can be recycled. By developing affordable, commercial-scale wind turbine solutions for on-site power production, we aim to democratize the technology and accelerate its large-scale implementation.

History

Windworks is an EPFL spin-off, emerging from a productive phase of academic research from 2018 to 2023. During this period, we achieved significant breakthroughs with our lab turbine prototype, notably a threefold increase in power efficiency and a 70% reduction in structural wear under high wind conditions. In October 2023 we officially launched as a startup, led by co-founders Sebastien Le Fouest and Daniel Fernex, driven by our mission to help wind turbine manufacturers design efficient and robust units.

Our proof-of-concept findings were published in Nature Communications in April 2024, gaining global media attention and generating significant interest in our technology. This media attention revealed a clear demand for on-site wind power production, powering energy intensive sites such as manufacturing, water treatment plants and farming.

Our new, wider and more ambitious purpose is to democratise wind power and create a sustainable future through smart turbine technology. This mission encompasses our two offerings that are further detailed in the below business model section.

Our business models

A control software licence at CHF 70k per megawatt of installed capacity to help wind turbine manufacturers ensure safe turbine operation, extending turbine lifetime from 15 to 25 years of operation, and reducing their offered cost of electricity by 20 to 55%.
A commercial-scale wind turbine with real-time blade control to enable energy autonomy from clean and affordable on-site power production. Our 30-meter tall 100kW wind turbine achieves an electricity cost <10 cts/kWh, making it the first economically viable commercial scale wind power solution.

Benefits of smart wind turbines for on-site power production

Industry-leading cost of electricity for commercial-scale wind energy applications. Our intelligent control framework enables high-efficiency, long-lasting wind turbines, reducing their cost of electricity to ≥ CHF 6 cts/kWh.
Energy independence and security. Commercial-scale wind power solutions work in harmony with photovoltaics to ensure an evenly distributed generation profile throughout the year. With integrated storage solutions, energy-intensive industries and communities achieve full energy autonomy and gain complete control over their power costs and availability.

We have plans to grow our team to create a high functioning and highly diverse team, over 20 members strong by 2028.

We plan to secure a 300-500k pre-seed round, by March 2025.

Energy Lab could help us lay the foundations of our commercial scale wind turbine with high product market fit based on client interaction and their power needs. Energy Lab could support us with this client interaction through their network.

Switzerland has only 39 wind turbines supplying 0.2% of the country’s electricity consumption. The federal council stated this figure should reach 7% by 2050 to ensure the country’s energetic sovereignty, particularly in the winter when electricity demands peak and solar panels supply their lowest yield. At Windworks, we plan to play an important role in achieving this target.

Windworks is a spin-off project at EPFL focused on democratising wind power and creating a sustainable future through intelligent and affordable vertical-axis wind turbines.

We are looking to identify opportunities for our smart and affordable turbines to provide energy autonomy to Swiss businesses and communities.