Japanese wind turbine producer Loopwing is developing a turbine in order to produce energy from ocean currents. Their loop shaped rotor blades, also used for wind turbines, should prove efficient under water, according to the company.

Loopwing is currently working on a pilot plant with a rotor diameter of 33 meters and a maximum power of 2 MW. The blades of this machine are so thin that the current will deform them. This will increase efficiency. The Loopwing rotor technology has a second advantage to regular turbines; they hardly create any whirls around the rotor blades. This also means higher efficiency. Commercially sized Loopwing sea turbines are expected to produce around 2.5 GW when placed in the Kuroshio current east of Japan.