Entrepreneur Mac Brown is preparing to float a radically new concept. Mr. Brown is involved in plans to build a "floating wind generator" within the next 30 months to demonstrate a new, clean energy technology that he says will work almost anywhere.
The Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS) is designed to be filled with helium gas to lift it up to 300 metres off the ground to capture strong winds, which drive generators attached at both ends of the horizontal axis. While helium will provide the lift to get the unit aloft, there is additional lift created by the rotor spinning in the wind, which will add to the unit's buoyancy and stability, according to information on the company's website. Electricity would be transferred to the ground through the tethers anchoring it in place. While Magenn claims its system can produce electricity more cheaply than its competitors, the company is primarily targeting rural and remote communities as a market for MARS.
