Tsinghua University

New Capabilities

Key research partner in SAWES development

In 1957, Chinese aerospace pioneer Qian Xuesen proposed capturing wind energy by wrapping turbines in circular housings at high altitudes. Nearly seven decades later, a Beijing startup has turned that vision into reality. Between September 19 and 21, 2025, China successfully flew the S1500—a helium-filled turbine the size of a basketball court—at 1,500 meters altitude in Xinjiang's desert, generating one megawatt of power. No other country has come close to this scale.

Updated Jan 26