Bill Gates-backed company is redesigning the wind turbine [Video]

Wind turbines have grown in size, but their form has largely stayed the same. A startup backed by the U.S. Department of Defense and Bill Gates is among those looking to change that.

Airloom Energy Inc. received $13.75 million in financing to build a pilot in Wyoming to test its technology, the company announced Tuesday. Lowercarbon Capital LLC led a funding round that included Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures LLC for $7.5 million, with the rest coming from the state of Wyoming and the Department of Defense.

Instead of rising on a tower, the startup’s turbine uses a rollercoaster-like track. Wind pushes wings around the structure, which in turn pull a belt that powers generators to produce electricity.

It’s a redesign that’s intended to deliver equipment that’s significantly smaller than horizontal axis wind towers, lowering the costs of construction and transportation, according to CEO Neal Rickner. The systems could potentially produce …