Tokyo : The samurai.jp Association announced today that it launched an indiegogo crowd funding project to help a unique ring-style wind power generator to be commercialized in 2014.

The wind power generator was prototyped by Tsuneo Fukui, who will establish Peace Frontier to develop, market and sell the power generator in October.

Fukui talked about the yet-to-be-commercialized power generator by saying, “For some time, I was concerned about the drawbacks of conventional large propeller generators, so I considered the development of a new type of wind power generator that is environmentally friendly and can be installed with relative ease even in urban areas.”

The ring-type wind power generator can generate 5 times as much power compared to a wind turbine with the same bore diameter. The generator has no shafts or exterior parts, and it is lightweight. The dimensions allow installation in a 2-square-meter area, and therefore all the components can fit in an elevator. The vanes do not stick out, so it is safe for wildlife and humans. The battery is housed in a stand, so the equipment can function as an uninterruptable power supply as well. It can achieve a rated output of 3kW (wind speed of 8m/second). Fukui expects to generate 10MW/h yearly (when 1.2kW/h is generated with an average wind speed of 6m/second).

The prototype currently uses a die-cast rotor, but Fukui is asking for assistance to develop a plastic rotor, which will make the generator lighter and help increase its power output. The wind power generator will be equipped with a plastic rotor when it is commercialized in 2014.

Fukui expresses his hope to find adequate funds by saying, “We hope people will support our efforts to spread wind power generators that fully utilize the gifts of nature.”

Kiyomi Tagawa, who supports Fukui’s efforts through indiegogo, says, “We are seeking support via this Indiegogo campaign to enable conversion of the die-cast rotors used in the prototype into plastic, as a step toward commercializing the turbine.” He also cites the reason to support Fukui’s efforts by saying, “We hope to use the development of this new product to help create employment and develop related businesses in the Tohoku region, which has suffered great hardship since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.”

Source : ACN Newswire