Hawai'i Community Development Authority

Media Release: HCDA PARTNERS TO BRING GROUNDBREAKING NEW CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TO KAKA‘AKO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 3, 2024

HONOLULU – Today the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority partnered with Kanoa Winds Inc. to bring state-of-the-art Japanese clean energy technology to Kaka‘ako Makai, to study its feasibility in the islands by operating its one wind turbine for research and demonstration purposes.

“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 Vertical Coaxial Contra-rotating Twin Blades (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. “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 Kahuku on the North Shore of Oʻahu. 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.

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Media Contact:
Francine Murray
Community Outreach Officer
Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority
[email protected]
808-594-0300

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