Guwahati-based startup builds India’s first catamaran from discarded turbine blades
Akvotransiro Tech developed India’s first catamaran using end-of-life wind turbine blades, showcasing its Wind2Water technology
The catamaran by Akvotransiro Tech (AT Image)
Guwahati, Aug 26: An Assam-based startup has achieved a breakthrough in addressing one of the world's emerging environmental challenges-discarded wind turbine blades. Akvotransiro Tech Pvt. Ltd., a Guwahati-based DPIIT-registered startup, has successfully tested India's first catamaran built from end-of-life turbine blades, offering a sustainable solution for water transport.
India is expected to generate 25,000-30,000 metric tons of turbine blade waste annually by 2030, with each blade weighing 10-25 tons and composed of non-recyclable fiberglass and carbon fibre. Globally, this figure could reach 43 million metric tons by 2050, according to Cambridge University research, a press release stated.
Akvotransiro's Wind2Water technology upcycles these dis-carded blades into modular hulls, transforming them into durable, low cost vessels. The company's first 4-person prototype catamaran, tested extensively on Deepor Beel near Guwahati, has demonstrated the feasibility of turning waste into reliable boats.
"Every wind turbine blade represents an environmental headache in the making. We have shown they can be transformed into safe, working boats," said founder Ravi Jyoti Deka.
Founded in 2020, Akvotransiro has been supported by TIH-IIT Guwahati, NECTAR and FiiRE, Goa. The company pioneered bamboo-composite boats, flood-rescue vessels, lightweight canoes, and an 18-passenger River Trimaran. Its patented bamboo-composite process remains the world's only proven, production-ready green boat technology.
The Wind2Water innovation, once shortlisted for the EU's EIC Programme (2021-22), now positions India as a global frontrunner in circular economy solutions. Unlike past efforts to repurpose blades into play-ground furniture, Akvotransiro has created vessels with real utility - rugged catamarans and floating docks for passenger, cargo, and rescue operations.
By tackling a looming waste crisis and boosting inland water transport, the startup has turned an "impossible problem" into a working, scalable solution, the release said.