This isn’t a joke. Brothers Arun and Anoop George of Kerala, India are on a mission to deliver renewable energy to the common man.
Their startup, Avant Garde Innovations plans to launch in 2017 a ridiculously inexpensive wind turbine that costs about as much as the iPhone in your pocket.
But how good can a $750 wind turbine be? – especially one no larger than a box fan?
Well, the brothers’ wind turbines generate 3-5 kW per day. That really is remarkable when you consider residential wind turbines in the United States cost anywhere from $4,000 to $9,000 for a 1kW model.
And according to Arun and Anoop, they’re just getting started.
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Who Is Avant Garde Innovations?
A visit to their website boasts some lofty goals – “eliminate energy poverty, reduce dependence on struggling state power grids and create energy self-sufficiency for all the needy ones.”
If you look at the attention their startup is garnering, it seems as though the George brothers’ vision is possible.
In December 2015, Avant Garde Innovations successfully launched a pilot operation. A prototype wind turbine was erected at the historic Madre De Deus church in Trivandrum City, the capital of brothers’ home state Kerala.
Not only has this test proven their wind turbines as a viable source of power, but Arun and Anoop achieved another notable landmark as well – Madre De Deus became the first Catholic church to actualize Pope Francis’ call for green energy.
And the world has been watching ever since.
Several Indian and international organizations have recognized Avant Garde Innovations’ technology, including the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme which is jointly administrated by the United Nations and other governing bodies.
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What does Avant Garde Innovations mean for India?
While many cities in India produce adequate energy, most suffer from an outdated power grid and regular outages.
Indians have long struggled with energy security, among other resources.
So the wind turbines designed by Avant Garde Innovations may revolutionize energy accessibility in India. This is particularly promising for the large swaths of rural and agricultural regions that are, essentially, in the dark.
Even in more stable and developed urban zones, the affordability of the George’s wind turbines could reduce dependency on state energy and provide a low-cost means toward self-sufficiency.
What does Avant Garde Innovations mean for the rest of the world?
India is but one nation contending with energy insecurity.
Worldwide, nearly 1 billion people live without access to a reliable power grid. But the George brothers’ wind turbines promise to solve this problem without further disruption to already troubled environments.
With pricing at a fraction of currently produced products, Avant Garde Innovations could very well impact how developed nations think of energy, too.
David Raulsten