Turbine

We interviewed the core team at Norway's World Wide Wind to learn more about its floating, tilting, contra-rotating, double turbine design, which it says can unlock unprecedented scale, power and density to radically lower the cost of offshore wind.

When we last saw Franky Zapata back in May, he was spinning uncontrollably down into the water from a serious height in a terrifying jetboard crash. But the flying Frenchman is back to launch a new, high-speed personal aircraft called the JetRacer.

Fusionflight has announced an 8-kW microturbine generator that weighs less than one-tenth of what an equivalent petrol generator would, and it's the size of a toolbox instead of needing its own wheels – if you can handle the epic noise levels.

A Norwegian team has claimed a world-first, running a gas turbine on 100 percent hydrogen. The modifications made to the turbine, fuel systems and the natural gas infrastructure, could be used to convert other turbines to zero emissions.

After spending 18 months building an entirely new form of flight control software, California's Jetpack Aviation has finished flight testing the odd-looking first prototype of the Speeder, a high-speed, jet turbine-powered flying motorcycle.

Denmark's Vestas is looking to become an industry leader in offshore wind, and has introduced the V236-15.0 MW turbine to take the fight to GE. The new design's blades offer the largest swept area in the world.

Techrules is working to transform the micro-turbine generators powering its 1,300-hp Ren supercar into standalone systems. It'll start with a 45-kW version to wire into commercial electrical grids before shrinking it down for everyday electric cars.

A medium-sized drone powered by a microturbine engine has completed its maiden flight at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York.

Offshore wind farms can tap into the higher average wind speeds over the ocean, but can only be built in relatively shallow water. Floating turbines can help harvest wind energy from above deeper waters, and now the world’s first floating wind farm has just fired up off the coast of Scotland.

Tetrapods are often used to protect coastlines from eroding away under the constant barrage of waves. Now a project from OIST has outlined plans for turbines that would sit alongside tetrapods, helping to not only dissipate wave energy, but harvest it.

While an outdoor adventure is a great time to switch off from the digital world, the connected camper might still want to send some snaps to social media. Battery life usually limits that luxury, but the Waterlily is a portable turbine that can harness the power of both wind and water.

Chinese startup Techrules showed two concept cars at last year's Geneva Motor Show. For this year's show, it totally shattered the mold and pulled the cloth off a car that looks very different. It's called the Ren, and it's the car that will bring Techrules' micro-turbine hybrid tech to life.