Startup ventures to test Japanese vertical wind turbine technology in the islands

A Hawai‘i-based startup with ties to Japan is bringing state-of-the-art Japanese clean energy technology to Kaka‘ako Makai in Honolulu, to study its feasibility in the islands by operating its one wind turbine for research and demonstration purposes.

By partnering with the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority, Kanoa Winds Inc. gains access to HCDA’s Entrepreneur Sandbox, where they plan to install a 0.5 kilowatt Vertical Coaxial Contra-rotating Twin Blades (VCCT) wind turbine, according to a HCDA announcement.

“These compact vertical turbines are successfully used in densely populated areas throughout Japan,” said HCDA Executive Director Craig Nakamoto. “We are very excited to be collaborating with Kanoa Winds to test this technology’s small but mighty ability to harness the power of wind, for a new alternative to Hawai‘i’s clean energy future.”

The VCCT wind turbine was created to generate safe and clean wind power and has been used successfully in Japan for more than 15 years near transportation hubs, attached to industrial facilities, and in residential mixed-use communities.

“The VCCT wind turbines in Japan have been known to have birds nesting within the device, proving the safety and coexistence between the birds and the VCCT technology,” explained Kanoa Winds Founder and CEO Kaname Takeya, who hails from Japan. “The prestigious Japan Falconiformes Center has endorsed the technology due to its safety and reliability while having minimal impact on the environment.”

One of the key distinguishing features of VCCTs is that they generate power at a much wider range of wind speeds than traditional horizontal-axis wind turbines, such as those installed in on the West Maui Mountains. VCCTs can operate at wind speeds between about 7 to 134 miles per hour. In contrast, traditional horizontal-axis wind turbines typically stop generating power at wind speeds of about 44 miles per hour.

Kanoa Winds will install a 0.5 kilowatt VCCT unit near the Hawai‘i Technology Development Corporation Entrepreneur Sandbox, to conduct an in-depth study of this technology: its wind speed power generation, equipment load, stability tests, safety evaluation, wildlife impact, and environmental assessment. It is shorter than a street light in height and it will be erected within a footprint of about 24 square feet.