A Tunisia-based company Saphon is looking for partners to mass-produce and market is unique wind energy device that promises not just higher efficiency but lower production costs.

Saphon Energy is engaged in wind energy research and development. It was set up especially to develop and promote its Zero-Blade Technology for wind energy, which it has patented.

‘The Zero-Blade Technology is completely different compared to the current three-blade rotational wind turbines,’ Hassine Labaied, Saphon’s chief executive, told EcoSeed.

According to Mr. Labaied, their design is mainly inspired by the mechanism of a sail boat, and is a new and better way to collect the kinetic energy of the wind.

Instead of blades rotating, a sail-shaped body moves back and forth with the wind current, converting its kinetic energy into mechanical energy to move pistons. The movement of the pistons creates hydraulic pressure that can either be stored in a hydraulic accumulator or converted to electricity through a hydraulic motor and generator.

According to Saphon, the zero-blade technology is capable of overcoming the Betz limit ‘ the maximum possible energy that can be derived from a wind turbine. Named after German wind turbine technology pioneer Albert Betz, the Betz law states that no turbine can capture more than 59.3 percent of the wind’s kinetic energy. On average, a wind turbine can only capture 30 percent to 40 percent.

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