Netherlands-based wind turbine technology developer 2-B Energy has raised €26.5m ($30m) in funding from investors including oil company Shell, ReNews has reported.
The round was led by venture capital firm Truffle Capital and also featured financial services provider Rabobank and state-backed funding from Netherlands-based PPM Oost and AgentschapNL, the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change and Scottish Enterprise.
2-B is developing a two-bladed offshore wind turbine with a 140-metre rotor diameter that would also provide helicopter access. The company claims the design has the potential to cut offshore wind energy costs by up to 35%.
The funding will support construction of a single-turbine pilot project in the Netherlands, which 2-B plans to test in 2015, and development of two pilot turbines off the coast of Scotland.