Folding Wind Turbines Installed in Okinawa

Copyright Okinawa Electric Power Co.

Okinawa Electric Power Co. announced on April 22, 2010, that it held on the same day a ceremony to celebrate the completion of two folding wind turbines on Hateruma Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The wind turbines previously installed by the company were often suffered damage to their blades or collapsed from typhoons. The new turbines can be folded nearly 90 degrees to prevent damage from strong winds during typhoons. This project is sponsored by the national and prefectural governments as a research project for establishing of energy self-supply systems in small islands in fiscal 2009.

In addition to being able to withstand typhoons, the folding wind turbine have other advantages such as not requiring large construction cranes during construction and maintenance can be performed on the ground level. The new installations are two 245-kilowatt wind turbines made by Vergnet, a French company. Their nicknames were chosen from students' ideas at Hateruma Elementary and Junior High School. Turbine No.1 was named "Besumasikara," which means "the force of Hateruma," and the Turbine No.2 was named "Attarasayaa," which means "what a waste," in the local dialect.

Hateruma Island is Japan's southernmost remote island, with a total land area of about 13 square kilometers. There are about 270 households and less than 600 inhabitants on the island. The maximum electric demand in was 613 kilowatts in FY 2008.

Okinawa Electric Power Co. official website
http://www.okiden.co.jp/english/

Posted: 2010/11/06 06:00:15 AM