Dr. Kari Appa, a retired aerospace engineer, started Appa Technology Initiatives (ATI) in 1998 to develop new technologies in Aerospace and Wind Energy. In 2000, he was awarded a grant from the California Energy Commission to demonstrate proof-of-concept of a Contra Rotor Wind Turbine System (“CRWT”) using a pair of two-bladed 4 meter rotors and a pair of 3 kW permanent magnet alternators. The outcome of the study show that the leeward rotor of a CRWT could extract an additional 30-40% more power from a wind stream. Dr. Appa has been awarded 5 U.S. Patents for CRWT-related inventions.
In 2005, Dr. Appa found an Indian-based subsidiary of ATI called Wind Turbine Systems (WTS) in Bangalore. WTS owns a 7500 square feet manufacturing facility in Hoskote and a 7 acre wind turbine test facility in Kolar District where prototype turbines are tested. WTS specializes in both single rotor and contra rotor small wind turbines. In addition  to CRWT technology, WTS has also developed patent pending technology to control rotor speed both at the level of the rotor and the generator as well as a simplified methodology for fabricating light weight, high efficiency, direct drive permanent magnet generators. WTS expects to release its initial production line wind turbines in early 2013 for various applications including agricultural, industrial, and telecommunications.