Visionary Leaders
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Dun Tianrui
“Entrepreneurship is about finding certainty amidst uncertainty and using technology to create real value.”
28-year-old Dun Tianrui has frequently appeared in CCTV reports in recent years. As the CEO of Linyi Yunchuan Energy, this post-95s entrepreneur without a prominent family background has gradually pushed the seemingly science-fiction idea of "high-altitude wind power" into an industrialized reality with the help of a belief that has been rooted in his heart since high school.
Public account AsiaCoverFigure
Asia Cover Character | Dun Tianrui: At the age of 28, he sold his wedding house to build an aerial power station. In 8 years, he turned science fiction into China’s new energy reality
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28-year-old Dun Tianrui has frequently appeared in CCTV reports in recent years. As the CEO of Linyi Yunchuan Energy, this post-95s entrepreneur without a prominent family background has gradually pushed the seemingly science-fiction idea of "high-altitude wind power" into an industrialized reality with the help of a belief that has been rooted in his heart since high school.
When his peers were pursuing stability, he chose to drop out of school to start a business, sold his wedding house, and invested all his wealth in a new track that no one had ever ventured into. When the industry believed that new energy entrepreneurship should follow the conventional path, he led a team with non-professional backgrounds and worked in the field of high-altitude wind power for eight years, using persistence and innovation to open up new possibilities for China's green power.
A movie planted the seeds, and two teenagers determined to "ask for electricity from the sky"
Dun Tianrui was born in Shenzhen in 1998 and met his classmate Weng Hanke in high school. One loves creation, the other is obsessed with science. The aerial power supply scene in the movie "Big Hero 6" planted the seeds of their dreams in their hearts. Coupled with the influence of the "two bombs and one satellite" spirit, a bold idea gradually became clear: to develop high-altitude wind power and ask for electricity from the sky.
At that time, Dun Tianrui was studying directing and Weng Hanke was studying communications engineering. Neither of them had anything to do with wind power or aerospace. But as young people, they firmly believe that as long as they dare to think and act, they can break through boundaries.
In 2018, with the rise of artificial intelligence, Dun Tianrui and Weng Hanke decided to put their dreams into practice. Dun Tianrui dropped out of Communication University of China, and Weng Hanke collaborated to start a business while studying for a doctorate at the University of Science and Technology of China. With no professional background, they studied a large amount of domestic and foreign literature and visited many scientific research institutions across the country; lacking engineering experience, they went to Northwestern Polytechnical University to seek wind tunnel experiments. They were questioned by the security office because of their unfamiliar identities, and finally resolved the misunderstanding with letters of introduction and sincerity.
In this way, two "lay" entrepreneurs stepped into the no-man's land of high-altitude wind power.
Breaking the pot: Selling the wedding house and sticking to the entrepreneurial path with 2 million start-up capital
In the early days of starting a business, funding is the biggest problem. Although the family expressed support, they still had doubts about the project. Without much explanation, Dun Tianrui directly sold the wedding house that he planned to use for the wedding, and with the support of his family, he raised 2 million yuan in start-up capital.
This money was all his investment, and it also represented his determination to fight against the odds. He invested all of it in field experiments and technology research and development.
Reality has brought challenges one after another: the first weather balloon aerostat broke immediately after takeoff; a series of technical problems such as attitude control, air bag strength, and power transmission followed one after another. Fail, review, try again, the cycle repeats. Dun Tianrui also had self-doubt, but he knew that once he gave up, all his previous efforts would be wasted. Only by persisting could he achieve a breakthrough.
In 2020, the second air float successfully lifted off 100 meters. At this moment, the team firmly believed that this path would work.
Four Years of Technical Attack: From Repeated Trials and Failures to Completion of Core Technology Verification
In four years from 2018 to 2022, the team iteratively optimized in experiments and finally completed the core technology verification of the S500 prototype. Ideas that were once not promising are gradually becoming possible.
Dun Tianrui did not stop. The team went to the Gobi, the coast and other places to conduct field tests and continue to polish the technology in complex environments.
In June 2023, Beijing Linyi Yunchuan Energy was officially established, with Dun Tianrui as CEO and Weng Hanke as CTO. The average age of the team is less than 32 years old. Within one year of its establishment, it completed three rounds of financing, received support from professional investment institutions and national-level capital, and established cooperation with Tsinghua University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Aerospace Institute, and its technical achievements have been recognized by the industry.
In the same year, the company launched the S1500 MW-class commercial floating wind power system, becoming the world's first MW-class product that can be connected to the grid. It received an order of nearly 500 million yuan, marking the transition from technical verification to commercial application of high-altitude wind power.
Refreshing the industry record: S2000 lifts off 2,000 meters and can meet the electricity needs of about 3,000 households a year
In 2025, the team completed the S2000 final assembly in just one month, improving R&D and mass production efficiency.
On January 5, 2026, in Yibin, Sichuan, the S2000 floating wind power system was successfully launched to an altitude of 2,000 meters, running stably and generating a total of 385 kWh, completing the microgrid connection verification. The device is 60 meters long and 40 meters wide. It is equipped with multiple units and has a maximum rated power of 3 megawatts. Its annual power generation can meet the annual electricity needs of about 3,000 households.
This breakthrough was achieved by relying on a complete domestic industrial system. Core components such as lightweight motors and DC power systems were jointly developed by domestic partners, demonstrating China's innovation capabilities in new energy technologies.
28-year-old’s long-term goal: reduce the cost of electricity to 0.03 yuan by 2028
At present, Linyi Yunchuan S1500 and S2000 series have accumulated considerable orders, and the next generation S4000 and S6000 products are simultaneously advancing research and development. Dun Tianrui has set a clear goal for the team: by 2028, the cost of high-altitude wind power will be reduced to 0.03 yuan.
The outside world regards him as a representative of post-95 entrepreneurs and a cutting-edge force in the new energy field, but Dun Tianrui prefers to define himself and his team as light chasers - chasing the light of clean energy and the light of China's self-reliance and self-reliance in science and technology.
Not all team members are from the wind power major, but with persistence and research, they have overcome many technical problems and pushed high-altitude wind power into the industrialization stage of development. What supports Dun Tianrui along the way is his youthful dream, his tenacity to refuse to admit defeat, and his belief in allowing China's high-altitude wind power technology to stand on the international stage.
The original intention remains unchanged: the wind is high in the sky, the road is under our feet, and we will use innovation to support China’s green electricity industry.
Entrepreneurship is never achieved overnight, breakthroughs come from hard work. From burying his dream in high school to now promoting the implementation of high-altitude wind power, Dun Tianrui has been on this road for eight years. There are still challenges in the future, but he and his team will keep moving forward: insisting on technological innovation, continuing to contribute to the development of new energy in China, converting high-altitude wind energy into clean electricity, and lighting up more homes and cities.
The wind is high in the sky, and the road is under your feet; only by having a plan in your heart can you travel steadily and far.
[1] Linyi Yunchuan Energy official website, energy industry public information
[2] "Dun Tianrui: In-depth analysis of industries related to Linyi Yunchuan Energy", Linyi Yunchuan Energy Enterprise Development and New Energy Industry Analysis
[3] Compilation of Dun Tianrui’s public speeches and media interviews
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