Aikido Technologies Launches Innovative Folding Floating Wind Platform for Offshore Energy
Aikido Technologies, a startup specializing in floating wind technology, is set to launch its first demonstration of a unique folding floating wind platform. The company claims that its technology offers a faster and more cost-effective method for deploying floating offshore wind turbines.
Founded in 2022 with the backing of Breakthrough Energy Fellows, an accelerator program initiated by Bill Gates in 2021, Aikido Technologies aims to address the specific needs of climate innovation. As of September 2024, the program has welcomed over 100 fellows and is currently accepting applications for its fifth cohort.
Source: Aikido
In June 2024, Aikido announced it had secured $4 million in seed funding to further develop its technology and prepare for the upcoming demonstration, which is supported by the Gates initiative. New investors in this funding round included Azolla Ventures, Propeller Ventures, Sabanci Climate Ventures, Cisco Foundation, and Anthropocene Ventures, with additional support from the US Department of Energy.
The contract to construct the first 1:4 scale 100 kW floating wind platform was awarded to Chet Morrison Contractors and Morrison Fabrication in Harvey, Louisiana, in April 2024. Aikido reported that the project was completed in under 40 working hours, setting a new standard for the industrialization of floating platforms.
Aikido’s platform design features pin joints that facilitate the serialized production of its 13 major steel components. This innovative design allows the structure to fold during assembly and transport, reducing its space requirements by two-thirds in shipyards or ports. The American Bureau of Shipping has reviewed the design and granted it an Approval in Principle.
Additionally, the platform can be transported on traditional barges, making it compact and significantly reducing construction times. Its smaller size also lowers port requirements, enabling the use of smaller ports as onshore bases.
Aikido believes that the platform design is particularly suitable for domestic production in the US, especially in the Gulf Coast region, which has a robust ecosystem for supplying, building, and transporting offshore structures.
Port Pascagoula in Mississippi has signed a memorandum of understanding with Aikido to provide testing space for the Aikido One platform, which will be located off Singing River Island Pier. The project aims to validate the concept under realistic conditions and demonstrate the potential for expanding the floating offshore wind sector.
