Small, airborne and traditional wind
Wind captured at small scale, at height, or as motion rather than electricity.
Capture · Wind · No. 28
- Capture
- Output: Electricity or motion
More than 100 cargo ships now carry spinning rotors, wings or kites that supply up to a fifth of their thrust.
Chart: Illustration: Small, airborne and traditional wind
Where it comes from
Small turbines sit on short masts in slow, turbulent air near buildings and trees, so US units averaged only a 14% capacity factor in 2025.
The market is tiny: the US installed just 1.7 MW, or 737 turbines, in 2025. Ships are the growth story, with over 100 cargo vessels fitted by mid 2026.
Three things to know
- Small turbines cost about 9-10 times as much per kW as big wind farms, so they pay off mainly where diesel is the alternative.
- Airborne kites fly figure-of-eight loops, pulling a tether off a drum that drives a generator; SkySails had sold five units by 2022.
- The 17 drainage mills at Kinderdijk, built in 1738-1740, remain landmarks of wind power used directly as motion.
The journey
- 1 WindSlow, gusty air near ground, or aloft
- 2 CaptureSmall rotor, kite, sail or windmill
- 3 ConversionGenerator, tether drum or direct shaft
- 4 UseOff-grid power, pumping, milling, ship thrust