Introduction
Large wind turbines are an important part of the renewable energy movement. But they’re typically placed in remote areas. Small wind turbines can be used in cities and other more densely populated areas, but they come with their own problems. They’re often noisy, inefficient, and dangerous for birds.
Flower Turbines is trying to change that. Its small tulip-shaped turbines are quiet, aerodynamic, durable, and beautifully designed. We sat down with Flower Turbines founder Daniel Farb to learn about how the company’s turbines compare to solar energy and how much progress the company has made since its last funding round.
Note: This interview was conducted over phone and email. It has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
In your own words, how would you describe your company?
Daniel Farb
Flower Turbines has multiple innovations and an ambition to be a major global renewable energy player. We offer several sizes of wind turbines for grid and off grid and charging stations using our turbines as infrastructure for electric mobility.
Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
What inspired you to take the leap and start this company?
Daniel Farb
I was always a nature lover. I’ve done lots of outdoor sports so I have a feel for the environment. Also, as I grew up, my father was one of the authors of multiple articles and books that had a major impact on the environmental movement in the U.S. My feel for the environment and my desire to do something significant for ecology and my love of creative innovation all came together. Of course, I believed that I was on to something special in technology and that I had a potential gigacorn on my hands.
Wall Street has Morningstar, S&P, and Bloomberg
The equity crowdfunding market has KingsCrowd.
Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
What does the competitive landscape look like, and how do you differentiate?
Daniel Farb
I believe that no small wind company comes close to us — not just in one thing, but in multiple areas put together: aerodynamics, electronics, beauty, bird-friendliness, low starting speed, durability, and low noise. So I see the competition from the price of solar and grid power. However, solar is not fully a competitor, as the combination of solar and wind works very well. We do have a leg up on solar in one respect: Our cluster effect has tested amazingly well. Each turbine we add to a line makes all the others perform better. Solar panels don’t do that. At some point, buying enough of our turbines in a row increases the power so much that it becomes more cost-effective than solar. So far, we see that every four turbines we cluster doubles the power output, so it’s like having eight turbines.
We are also making a variant of our turbine that is very cheap to make for cost-sensitive markets.
Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
Getting businesses to adopt small wind turbines is a tough challenge. How will you convince them?
Daniel Farb
We started sales earlier in Europe. There, the main problem is not persuading customers but being able to deliver with all the COVID problems and supply chain issues. I feel that it is getting better. A lot want the image in addition to the electricity, and we are the only turbines where energy meets art. As we expand, we will drive down manufacturing costs; we already are. Then the products become more attractive to those looking for a purely financial return. We are about to launch seriously in the U.S., and we will see!
Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
What progress did you make since your last round?
Daniel Farb
A lot of patents. Setting up a team, equipment, and inventory in the U.S. market. Increasing our team overall. New product variants.
Sales in the EU are higher in the first quarter of 2023 than in 2022 and we have reduced expenses substantially so that I expect profitability in the EU later in 2023. The U.S. may take a year or two to follow the same path. And we have started the process of manufacturing some of our own electronics.
Wall Street has Morningstar, S&P, and Bloomberg
The equity crowdfunding market has KingsCrowd.
Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
What milestones do you want to achieve in the next 18 months?
Daniel Farb
Scaling up in the U.S. and EU. Making partnerships in India and China. Having more than 20 patents in multiple countries. Achieving mass production and putting our wind turbine electronics innovations into effect.
We look forward to seeing where Daniel and his team take the company. Flower Turbines is currently raising on StartEngine.
Disclaimer from the company: Investors should read the Offering Circular and Risks related to this offering before investing. This Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of the entire investment.
About: Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
Léa is passionate about impact investing and sustainability. Prior to KingsCrowd, she worked for Stanford’s accelerator, StartX, helping to select the most promising entrepreneurs. She also led the first award-winning study on the Malawian startup ecosystem. In her free-time, she volunteers to help entrepreneurs in Cameroon, Brazil and Colombia. Léa holds a degree in Anthropology from France and is currently enrolled in the UC Davis MBA program.