popularmechanics.co.za MAY / JUNE 2022 55
OW MORE THAN EVER,
the transition to sustain-
able energy sources is
at the forefront of that
ever-buzzy buzzword,
‘cleantech’. Brayfoil Technologies
is developing new innovations to
accelerate the green revolution with
their morphing blade technology
inspired by birds’ wings.
The minutiae of this industry are
countless and as a collective, bit by bit,
we’re moving towards a greener future
with energy production becoming
markedly more sustainable. Key to
this is wind power, which in and of
itself is a hugely complex ecosystem
of research, continued development,
and innovation. The pace of wind-
power installation needs to accelerate
significantly from its current level of
88 GW installed globally in 2021, to
more than 200 GW per annum by
2030 if the world is to hit net-zero
targets. In simple terms, net zero
refers to the balance between the
amount of greenhouse gases produced
and the amount removed from the
atmosphere. Net zero is reached when
the amount of greenhouse gases added
to the atmosphere is no more than the
amount taken away.
What this translates to is a seven-
fold growth in the demand for wind-
power capacity within the next 30 years
with not only more turbines than ever
before being required, but for each of
those turbines to produce more energy
per device.