Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. ("MHI") and the Suhail Bahwan Group ("SBG") have invested in Altaeros Energies, a Massachusetts-based technology company, to support the design and production of its Buoyant Airborne Turbine ("BAT") renewable energy and communication platform.
MHI and SBG bring deep strategic expertise in developing and executing large technology projects for industrial and government customers around the world. The Altaeros BAT offers a multi-purpose platform to supply power, telecommunication, and other sensing and security services to remote and off-grid customers.
"There are over one billion people that live without access to reliable electricity and three billion who do not have access to the Internet. We are honored to partner with MHI and SBG to deliver a product that can tackle this global challenge," said Ben Glass, CEO of Altaeros.
The BAT delivers a consistent power output from a containerized platform that is convenient to ship and install at remote sites, helping to significantly reduce reliance on diesel fuel for off-grid communities, disaster relief centers, island nations, and remote industries. The BAT is composed of a helium-filled shell that lifts a wind turbine to harness stronger and more consistent winds 600 meters (2,000 feet) above ground, roughly three times higher than the tallest existing tower-mounted wind turbines.