Texas Tech University's Office of Research Commercialization has announced that Houston-based Aeromine Technologies is the 2024 recipient of its “Startup of the Year” award, honoring early-stage companies who are commercializing Texas Tech University System Intellectual Property. Aeromine was presented with the award at the Office of Research Commercialization’s annual Inventor Celebration. The Startup of the Year award honors a startup company that has made significant progress in becoming a sustainable business and one that has contributed to and is a strong supporter of the Innovation Ecosystem in West Texas.

Founded in 2022 and originally supported by the Emerging Technology Fund of the Texas Governor’s office and TTU Innovation Hub programming, Aeromine has created a patented rooftop wind harvesting platform for rooftops that harnesses the power of wind in smaller footprints, including commercial buildings, at a competitive cost. Research was conducted with Texas Tech University and Sandia National Laboratories. At a time when maximizing on-site generation and transitioning to clean energy is more critical than ever, rooftop wind energy innovator Aeromine is contributing to the global shift towards renewable energy. The unit can help owners of buildings with flat unobstructed roofs produce up to 100 percent of their energy needs on site.

“We’d like to thank Texas Tech University for this prestigious recognition,” said Dr. Carsten Westergaard, co-founder and inventor of Aeromine during his tenure as professor of practice at Texas Tech University. “Aeromine fills a critical market need by providing incremental on-site generation, allowing customers and buildings to maximize the energy harvested on their rooftops.”

The Startup of the Year award is extremely competitive, with more TTU System technologies than ever being licensed and commercialized. The Office of Research Commercialization serves as the intellectual property management and technology transfer office for the five institutions of the TTU System, including Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Angelo State University, and Midwestern State University. Commercialization activity across the System has more than doubled in recent years, and through partnerships like Aeromine’s, TTU System research is having more market impact than ever before.

Unlike large onshore and offshore wind farms, Aeromine’s space-efficient units are mounted on the edge of a building’s roof and have no external moving parts or blades, capturing wind flowing up and over buildings and converting it into on-site electricity.

Aeromine enables apartment buildings, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, offices, hospitals, retail centers, and nearly any large building with flat unobstructed roofs to generate up to 100 percent of their energy needs on site. The technology leverages aerodynamics, similar to airfoils on a race car, to capture and amplify each building’s airflow to generate around-the-clock energy. Systems typically consist of 20-40 units installed on the edge of a building facing the predominant wind direction.

Designed to produce energy independently or integrate seamlessly with existing solar arrays, Aeromine’s motionless, quiet units easily adapt to existing electrical infrastructures. By generating power on-site, Aeromine eliminates disruptions  due to grid instability and reduces the environmental impact of transporting energy during extreme weather events.

Since its launch,  Aeromine has been recognized as one of 2022's Top 200 Inventions. The technology has been featured in numerous media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and The Washington Post, and was named one of the Top Building Products of 2023 by Building Design + Construction.

Aeromine initial market segment is commercial rooftops in the industrial, logistics, financial (portfolio owners/developers), automotive, commercial and government sectors, where customer from more than 400 global corporate brands have engaged to discuss future projects. Aeromine have partners with a few of these for early pilot projects, including BASF and BMW among some of the early movers. 

Technological innovations such as artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and charging infrastructure are driving global power demand from both the built environment and the grid. Innovation and investment in new generation solutions, such as Aeromine, are critical to supporting long-term power needs.

About Aeromine Technologies

Aeromine Technologies has developed a breakthrough scalable renewable energy solution that harnesses the power of wind in an efficient system. Aeromine units install on the edge of the building roof, they are motionless, vibration- and noise- less. System installations are typically 50 kW or larger. The solution is robust, long-lasting, and requires much less rooftop space than other options to generate distributed energy. Ideal for large, flat rooftop buildings – including warehouses, big box retailers, data centers, office, and apartment buildings - Aeromine leverages existing financial structures, installation resources and incentives established by the solar industry.