Wind Turbines or Wind Generators are the future of green energy in Ireland. With the success of Airtricity it is easy to see how wind turbines are a viable option for environmentally conscious energy in Ireland. Wind power is a clean and inexhaustible alternative energy and is easily harnessed Now, through Geothermal-Solar and Zephyr Corporation, you too can reap the benefits of wind generated power in your home, school or commercial property with the Zephyr Air Dolphin.

“Zephyr always believed that unless wind turbines perform far above current standards, they will never become an alternate universal power generator. Based on this concept, we created a new development scenario for a small wind turbine targeted for the global market, and asked experts for their opinions. While examining the various possibilities, we met Hikaru Matsumiya (then member of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, currently a professor at Kyushu University), which eventually led to the start up of this project. The joint development venture between industry, academia, and government has united people, knowledge, and technologies at the highest level.

Experts from every field related to wind turbine development, such as hydrodynamics, electronics, materials, processing technology, and others, have gathered for this project organized by Zephyr. In developing a new model, we aimed for a product with high customer satisfaction, based on a consistent marketing philosophy -- from design, research, development, to manufacturing and sales. The numerous failures in the past 8 years became valuable data for our research. We have come up with solutions for contradictory conditions -- safe and efficient, quiet with high power generation efficiency, high quality and inexpensive, etc. -- which were essential for a superior wind turbine, and finally succeeded in our development.”- Zephyr Corporation Ltd.

●Compact, light, and simple no-screw body structure, inspired by

traditional Japanese handicraft techniques.

●The core rotor has three ultra-light carbon fibre blades, embossed to

dramatically reduce air flow noise.

●Programmed to automatically rotate 10 seconds per minute in low wind

conditions, to kick-start rotation.

●The robust body and power generation unit can produce power at up to 50m/s

wind speed, which is more than double speed of other existing systems.

The total weight of the Airdolphin is only 17.5kg, meaning the weight per generated watt is just 17.5g -- only 1/5 of those for large wind turbines. Thus, the Airdolphin tracks wind better in turbulent flows, resulting in more efficient power generation. Small wind turbines can be installed in various places -- general households, rooftops, schools, billboards, or mountain areas. These needs could be safely met at low costs because of the ultra-lightness of the unit.

Wind turbines must be totally flexible to face the forces of nature. Because of the light weight, it can quickly respond to continuously changing wind direction and capture the wind, thereby increasing the amount of power generation. We named this wind-capturing ability "Dynamic Wind Capturability".

Swing Rudder The rudder of the Airdolphin uses the Swing Rudder System, an attitude control system inspired by fish fin. The system can instantly respond to wind direction changes and achieve a more efficient power generation.

Rotor The rotor system on the Airdolphin flexibly responds to various wind conditions from the slightest to the strongest, offering efficient power generation. It also frees you from pitch controls.   The two advanced technologies of the rotor: （1） Ultra low-mass blades reinforced by long-lasting and rigid carbon-fiber skin which is also used for aircraft wings. （2）Multi-Stagger System with optimal conversion efficiency for various wind speeds.

The Airdolphin comes with the "Silent Disrupter Blade". This new blade has a number of thin grooves on its surface, which significantly reduces air flow noise. Our designers were inspired by the wings of owls that enables it to fly silently and unnoticed while approaching its prey.

The robust body construction features a "no screw" assembly, inspired by Japanese traditional craft of "Block Puzzle". This construction ensures superb resistance to climatic conditions.

When there is no wind, the Airdolphin uses previously generated power to rotate for 10 seconds per minute.

This will enable the rotor to start up at a mere 1.5m/s wind, reaching the cut-in point more efficiently. At the same time, the function prevents freezing in cold weather.

Power Generator A power generator weighing 7.5kg and a maximum 4.5kW power output is used for the Airdolphin, realizing increased power generation and strong regenerating brake performance. The most powerful neodymium iron boron magnet called "NEOMAX" is used.

The Zephyr Communication System allows you to connect the Airdolphin to the internet. You can also install an optional GPS receiver to the turbine for confirming each unit's location.

Our original body-design with sleek lines and functional beauty was inspired by wild creatures of nature. Airdolphin's form represents harmony with the environment as well as the strong presence of the unit itself. As the name implies, our turbine looks alive, eager and ready to catch the wind.

The CO2 emission during Airdolphin's production is roughly 180kg. It only takes 4 to 5 months to offset this amount through power generation by the wind turbine (avg. wind speed 4.5m/s, based on 0.425kg - CO2/kwh). Beyond this offsetting point, the amount of generated power becomes the amount of reduced CO2; thus contributing to the global environment (from Tokyo University Hirao laboratory's research data).

Zephyr's exclusive Power Management System is aimed at optimizing the safety and efficiency of power generation.

The Airdolphin will generate at wind speeds of 2.5m/s through 50m/s.

It has a capacity of over 3kW output at strong winds of 20m/s or more.

However, when the conditions become too violent, it will switch to stall or soft mode (moderated spinning speed), continuing to work at reduced output up until wind speeds of 50m/s, at which point the turbine will finally stop, or will go back to normal mode once winds have stabled.

We applied several technologies to keep the turbine from disintegrating and allow it to control its output, even during overheating of the power generator, excessive spinning speed, and other negative situations.

To maintain optimum efficiency at a variety of wind speeds, the turbine is controlled by a special computer program coordinated with the Multi-Stagger System of the rotor. We also developed a power management system which coordinates the special propeller design optimized for varying wind speeds and the power generator with superior efficiency.

Management of the rechargeable battery, optimized for using the wind turbine as an independent power supply, is controlled by a system based on a 3-step battery recharge. Charge can be managed under a variety of conditions, from arctic to tropical weather. Management includes compensations for wire cable length, temperature, and even high currents of over 100 amps.

The actual reference output for wind power generation is the amount of generated power. The rated output in the above chart is the instantaneous generated output (W). The stored amount of energy is expressed as power generation (Wh).

As shown in the chart below, even in moderate wind areas such as Shibuya in Tokyo (20 meters high on top of a 9-story building), Airdolphin can effectively convert wind blowing through buildings into energy. If you focus on the power generation (Wh) figures, you can clearly see difference in performance when comparing wind power generators.