Z4 is developing three products funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture and State of Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative (WSSI) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The first product is rotor blades for horizontal-axis residential scale wind turbines that self-adapt to varying wind conditions. The blades bend and twist along their length through a prescribed combination of blade shape and composite material properties to produce progressive feathering as wind speed increases. The second product is off-grid water well pumping system uses wind power to produce compressed air that powers the well pump and stores air for pumping water during times with no wind. And finally, a solar powered heater for deicing livestock watering tanks. The heater melts ice that forms overnight and maintains a 2-foot diameter opening during the daytime when livestock normally drink.
