Bill Gates Vs. Donald Trump: President Says 'No Windmills' — But This Billionaire Has Other Plans

Billionaire Bill Gates has backed several clean energy companies with his Breakthrough Energy Ventures and one of those companies could have a way to change wind energy forever.

While Airloom Energy could disrupt the wind energy sector, it also faces a tough industry that may experience slower growth as President Donald Trump fights against it.

What Happened: Airloom, which is backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, recently broke ground on a rectangular wind turbine pilot site in Wyoming.

The company's Rock River, Wyoming site is part of its new utility-scale turbine that seeks to be more efficient, cheaper and faster to install than existing three-blade wind turbines, as reported by Electrek.  

"Current energy technologies can't meet the growing complexity and demand of the next decade," Airloom CEO Neal Rickner said. "We need more flexible systems that can be built fast and at scale. That's the only way we'll get to real energy security and independence."

Built with small, mass-produced parts that are made in America, Airloom's turbines are cheaper to ship and easier to install. The company said its turbines can be up and running in under a year, versus other wind turbine projects that can take five years.

While traditional three-blade wind turbines move in a circular motion, Airloom's turbines use a motion in a rectangular area that can capture more wind in less space. This method could make Airloom's turbines more accessible for installation in areas with limited land or height restrictions compared to other models.

Airloom's Wyoming site is intended as a pilot to demonstrate the technology before commercial projects commence in 2027. The company is also exploring using its technologies for other use cases like offshore wind power, disaster relief and defense, according to the report.

Airloom raised $7.5 million in seed funding in October 2024 with Breakthrough Energy Ventures among the investors. Gates is the founder of a climate-focused fund that also counts several other billionaires among its investors.

Airloom has a $1.25 million contract from the Department of Defense and a $5 million funding match from the state of Wyoming

Company advisor Paul Judge, who previously worked for GE Onshore Wind, said the pilot test in Wyoming is a big moment in Airloom's history.

"This pilot is more than a test site; it's the beginning of a fundamentally new approach to resilient renewable energy generation: wind energy that's faster to deploy, land-efficient, and built for the challenges ahead," Judge said.

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Why It's Important: The potential advancement in wind energy from the Gates-backed company comes as the wind energy sector faces setbacks from the current White House administration.

President Trump has said "no windmills" and issued an executive order halting permits for new onshore wind projects when he took office.

"We're going to try to have a policy where no windmills are being built," Trump told reporters earlier this year.

The president has been vocal about his dislike for wind turbines that can be seen near his golf courses, and he has also linked the deaths of whales to offshore wind turbines.

Airloom's made-in-America parts could be a potential highlight for winning over Trump for new wind projects in the U.S., along with the projects occupying less space and being lower in the air.

There is also the growing demand for AI and data centers that could increase the necessity for more energy projects in the wind and nuclear sectors.

In the end, the world's fifth-richest person could end up at odds with the U.S. president and speak out about the need for more renewable energy in the country.

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