This Game-Changing “Windcatcher” Can Power 80,000 Homes

The future of renewable energy is here: a company based in Oslo, Norway, is developing an impressive offshore sail that could drastically change the way wind-powered energy is produced in an era where finding environmentally-friendly solutions are crucial.

“What we’re trying to do is to find an environmentally friendly and cheap solution of generating renewable energy,” says Ronny Karlsen, CFO of Wind Catching Systems AS. “That’s our goal.”

Just one unit of the Windcatcher, designed by self-taught inventor Asbjørn Nes, could power 80,000 European homes. Its blades can spin at a speed reaching 17 or 18m/s. The team is currently working on finding a strategy to preserve birdlife, be it airguns, bird radar, or black blades. If everything goes to plan, the Windcatcher could be ready for construction next year and find its way into the ocean by 2023 or 2024.