At a time when the global energy industry is searching for cheaper and more flexible sources of clean electricity, Dun Tianrui, a Chinese entrepreneur and engineer, is pursuing an unconventional idea of taking wind turbines off the ground.
Dun, chief executive officer and chief designer at SAWES Energy Technology, is developing airborne wind power systems designed to float thousands of metres above the ground, where winds are stronger and more consistent than those available to conventional turbines.
His ambition extends beyond building another renewable-energy product. Dun wants to turn the upper atmosphere into a new source of large-scale electricity.
The company’s latest system, the S2000, successfully entered stable operation at an altitude of about 2,000 metres in Yibin, Sichuan, in January 2026. The system generated 385 kilowatt-hours of electricity during one day of operation, according to reports.
The S2000 is designed to generate around 3 megawatts of power at maximum output. Dun has said that, at its current output level, one hour of operation could generate enough electricity to fully charge about 30 high-end electric vehicles.
Failed experiments to a flying power station
Dun’s ambition started with an interest in aerospace and the possibilities of using the sky for energy generation.
He and his co-founder, Weng Hanke, were born in 1998 and were high-school classmates in Shenzhen. The pair began exploring entrepreneurship around 2018 before deciding to focus on airborne wind power after two years of technical research and supply-chain investigation.
In developing the technology, the young founders encountered repeated technical failures. Dun suspended his university studies to work on the project, while Weng continued his PhD alongside the venture.
Dun also invested significant personal and family funds into the company, including selling an apartment intended to be his future marital home. The early setbacks, however, did not end the project.
SAWES gradually moved from smaller prototypes to powerful systems. Its S500 model reportedly reached 50 kilowatts in 2024, while the subsequent S1000 crossed the 100-kilowatt threshold. The S1500 then pushed the technology into the megawatt range.
Why put turbines in the sky?
Traditional wind turbines depend on towers and large blades to capture wind close to the ground.
Airborne wind systems take a different approach, as the SAWES system uses a large floating structure containing multiple lightweight turbine generators. The structure is lifted by helium and tethered to the ground, allowing the turbines to access stronger winds at higher altitudes. Electricity is transmitted back to the ground through cables.
The potential advantage is that the system does not require the enormous towers and foundations associated with conventional wind farms.
SAWES technology can also be transported and deployed relatively quickly, making it potentially useful in locations where constructing conventional energy infrastructure would be difficult. For Dun, however, the S2000 is only an intermediate step.
Dun has a higher ambition
The company’s next-generation plans extend beyond the current 2,000-metre operating altitude.
SAWES said its S4000 and S6000 platforms are under development, with the S6000 specifically targeting stratospheric airborne wind power. The company believes that moving higher could unlock much stronger and more persistent winds.
Dun’s broader ambition is to make airborne wind power a commercially competitive source of electricity rather than a technological curiosity.
The company has reportedly accumulated orders worth nearly RMB 500 million for its S1500 and S2000 platforms, while preparing its next-generation systems.
The technology faces significant challenges
Operating a large flying structure at high altitude requires sophisticated systems for stability, navigation, and emergency descent. Weather conditions can change, while helium supply and leakage remain important considerations.
SAWES has said its systems incorporate radar and sensors to manage stability and can rapidly descend in extreme conditions.
The technology must also prove that it can operate reliably for long periods and generate electricity at a cost competitive with established wind and solar technologies.
A different vision for clean energy
Dun’s project illustrates a broader trend in energy technology, which is the search for renewable resources that can operate outside the physical constraints of conventional infrastructure.
Solar farms require large areas of land and depend on daylight. Conventional wind turbines require substantial towers, foundations, and land access. Airborne wind power attempts to shift the infrastructure into the atmosphere.
This makes Dun’s ambition significant as countries seek new ways to expand renewable electricity while dealing with land constraints, rising electricity demand, and the need to decarbonise power generation.
For now, airborne wind power remains an emerging technology rather than a proven replacement for conventional wind farms.
But the progression from small prototypes to the S2000’s megawatt-scale system suggests that Dun and his team are no longer simply testing whether wind turbines can fly, but they are trying to prove that the sky itself can become a power station.