Roberto Bocca
January 30, 2025
This video is part of: Centre for Energy and Materials
The WindRunner is set to become the world’s largest plane, with a groundbreaking purpose: to transport wind turbines. This innovative aircraft is being designed to address one of the biggest challenges in the renewable energy sector—transportation of large turbine blades.
The WindRunner will have 12 times the volume of a Boeing 747 and will be as wide as a New York City block. Running on sustainable aviation fuel, its primary mission is to carry massive wind turbine blades that are too large to be transported by road.
The plane will be capable of landing on short, unpaved runways, facilitating the construction of new, gigawatt-scale wind farms in remote areas.
Radia, an energy company, is spearheading the development of the WindRunner. The aircraft will be able to transport blades over 100 meters in length and land directly within wind farms. This capability is crucial for creating pathways to the cheapest energy in the world.
To reach net zero by 2050, investments in clean energy must triple from $1.2 trillion a year to $4.4 trillion a year by 2030. The development of the WindRunner and similar innovations are critical steps toward achieving this goal.
Watch the video to learn more about the WindRunner.
Roberto Bocca
January 30, 2025