If someone is diversifying their investment portfolio in the **energy sector**, it’s **Bill Gates**. The magnate has invested in solid-state batteries, stones that store **solar energy**, sustainable air conditioning, nuclear fusion, new fission reactors, and more. The latest addition is some **foldable wind turbines**.
Aikido Technologies, a Californian company backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Fellows program, announced that their first **Aikido One platform** is ready to set sail.
Innovative Foldable Wind Turbines
This is a 1:4 scale model of the **semi-submersible floating wind platform** that Aikido has designed to host offshore wind turbines from any manufacturer. A promising technology coming at a time when **wind energy needs it most**, especially in the United States.
The platform features an innovative design with pins at the joints that allow it to fold to occupy one-third of the space in shipyards or ports. This characteristic reduces **logistics costs in the sector** by 25%, but there is an even more interesting advantage.
Cost and Assembly Time Reduction
The first Aikido One platform was assembled in less than 40 hours, 10 times faster than assembling a **conventional offshore wind platform**. The promise: to accelerate the installation of off-shore projects by an order of magnitude.
With this prototype, Aikido has shown that costs can be reduced and the implementation of **marine wind energy projects** can be accelerated through an innovative design. The platform and its components can be transported on traditional barges and assembled by small vessels, even with **turbines exceeding 15 MW**.
New Standard in Platform Construction
40 hours of work set a new standard in floating platform construction. Aikido One is designed to be locally produced on the Gulf of Mexico coast, taking advantage of the supply and construction ecosystem of **marine structures** in the area.
Aikido has signed an agreement with the port of Pascagoula, in the state of Mississippi, to test the platform in **deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico**. It will transport the turbine nacelle horizontally to further accelerate the assembly.
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