Compact Wind Acceleration Turbine

Compact Wind Acceleration Turbine

Compact Wind Acceleration Turbines (CWATs) are a class of wind turbine that uses structures to accelerate wind before it enters the wind-generating element. The concept of these structures has been around for decades but has not gained wide acceptance in the marketplace. In 2008, two companies targeting the mid-wind (100 kW-1 MW) marketplace have received funding from venture capital. The first company to receive funding is Optiwind, which received its series A funding in April 2008, and the second company is FloDesign Wind Turbine Corp, which also received its series A funding in April 2008. Optiwind is funded through Charles River Ventures and FloDesign is funded through Kleiner Perkins. Other CWATs under development include the WindTamer from AristaPower, WindCube, Innowind (conceptual offshore application) and Enflo turbines.