Rocky Hill, Conn.-based Connecticut Innovations (CI), a quasi-public authority responsible for technology investing and innovation development, has announced a $1 million investment in Optiwind Corp.
The deal is the second investment to be made from the Connecticut Clean Tech Fund, a partnership between CI, the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund.
Optiwind has developed a design for mid-sized compact wind acceleration turbine systems, which are ideally suited for installation at commercial, industrial and institutional properties. Optiwind's design consists of an array of six or 12 turbines that range in size from 100 kW to 300 kW and are mounted on a large cylinder that rotates so that the turbines always face prevailing winds.
‘There are few companies competing in the mid-sized distributed wind energy market, and because of the cost and efficiency advantages of Optiwind's technology, Optiwind stands to capture a significant share of this market,’ says Peter Longo, president and executive director of CI.
The design takes advantage of the fluid dynamic property that causes a fluid (air) to accelerate along the face of a cylinder. In the Optiwind system, this acceleration results in an eight-fold increase in the recoverable wind energy, making Optiwind's technology cost-effective in areas with lower average wind speeds, the company says.
SOURCE: Connecticut Innovations Inc.
