World’s first urban-use high-altitude wind turbine completes test flight

SICHUAN, 6th January, 2026 (WAM) — The world’s first megawatt-class high-altitude wind power system designed for urban deployment – the S2000 Stratosphere Airborne Wind Energy System (SAWES) – successfully completed a test flight in Yibin, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on Monday.

The achievement marks a key breakthrough as China’s high-altitude wind energy technology advances from experimental validation toward engineering-scale application.

From an environmental perspective, SAWES offers several advantages, including a simpler structure, lower land requirements and reduced environmental impact compared with conventional wind farms, according to experts.

The S2000 SAWES is an integrated airborne wind energy system that combines an airship platform and wind turbines into a single unit. The system measures 60 metres in length, 40 metres in width and 40 metres in height.

After an ascent lasting about 30 minutes, the S2000 reached an altitude of 2,000 metres during the test flight and generated 385 kilowatt-hours of electricity. It also successfully completed grid-connected power generation, becoming the world’s first high-altitude wind power device to be formally connected to the power grid.

Dun Tianrui, Chief Executive Officer and chief designer of the system’s main developer, Beijing-based start-up SAWES Energy Technology, said the S2000 model can be deployed at altitudes of up to 2,000 metres, with a single-unit power output of around 3 megawatts.

“At its current output level, one hour of operation can generate enough electricity to fully charge approximately 30 top-spec electric vehicles from zero to full,” he said.