Patent ID: 7453166

Claim:
A system for generating electricity from fluid currents, the system comprising: a closed-loop track; at least one trolley; at least one blade attached to the at least one trolley; a means for supporting and guiding movement of the at least one trolley along said closed-loop track, the at least one trolley generally rotating about an axis of the closed-loop track and substantially within a plane during movement along the closed-loop track; and a means for converting motion of the at least one trolley into electrical energy, wherein the at least one blade extends in a direction radially outward relative to the closed-loop track and is configured to interact with fluid currents moving in a direction approximately parallel to the axis of the closed-loop track about which the at least one trolley rotates to cause movement of the at least one trolley, and wherein at least a portion of the at least one blade intersects the plane in which the at least one trolley rotates during movement of the at least one trolley along the closed-loop track.