Magenn seeks VC money, demonstration site for “air rotor”
My Clean Break column this week offers an update on Ottawa-based Magenn Power, which is trying to create a new category for wind-power generation. The company’s Magenn Air Rotor System, or MARS, is basically a blimp tethered to the ground that spins on a horizontal axis as the wind blows. Because it can be deployed anywhere and the fact it can tap higher altitude winds that are stronger and more consistent makes it ideal for a number of applications where conventional turbines might not make sense. That’s assuming, of course, that it works. And that’s where the story continues. Magenn hoped to test out the system in an Ontario provincial park, and when that idea didn’t fly, it turned its attention to a fish hatchery near Thunder Bay. But it couldn’t get funding to go ahead. At the same time, the company is trying to securing a second round of financing that could bring it closer to commercialization. It would be a shame if Magenn couldn’t at least demonstrate the technology so we could see if the system can live up to its potential.
FYI: See last year’s article on Magenn that appeared in Greentech Media.
Tags: Magenn Power
Tyler Hamilton is editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and a business columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Interesting technology, but it seems like there would be a host of problems- energy transmission, storms, lighting, stability- still, I hope they at least get the funding to test it, so at least data could be generated instead of relying on speculation. Oh, your link to their site has the wrong url- it is: http://www.magenn.com/
June 4th, 2009 at 3:45 am
Hi Tyler,
Thats an interesting way to harness the wind. I wonder how it will compete with wind mills.
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June 11th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
It would be interesting to get a little bit of a demonstration to see if this thing can be energy profitable. Can’t they get any of that Green Energy Act money. Ohhh yeah its innovative technology that might actually work. Wouldn’t want to take the wind out of turbine sails. (really bad pun i know.)