At Asitey Health Centre in Ghana’s Eastern Region, the lights went out before dawn one September morning in 2024. Midwife Amponsah Abigail was attending a woman in labor; her phone torch and a relative’s light illuminated the room, UNICEF Ghana reported.
Johannes Amo-Aye built Fusion for power interruptions like this. The system pairs a wind turbine with solar panels and batteries. Wind turns the turbine; the panels generate electricity from sunlight, and the batteries store some output. “Thin air” refers to those sources. The turbine cannot generate power from still air. Fusion is installed at Asitey and Adeiso health centers. Whether more clinics will use it depends on what it costs to buy and keep running.
What Johannes Amo-Aye’s Turbine Captures
MINAGIE Energy, which Amo-Aye co-founded with public-health specialist Elizabeth Onireti, calls its system the Fusion Wind Turbine. The Royal Academy of Engineering’s 2026 Africa Prize profile describes installations at Adeiso and Asitey health centers in Ghana’s Eastern Region. Wind turns the turbine’s vertical blades. A generator converts that rotation into electricity. The design uses a Darrieus H-type rotor, one form of vertical-axis turbine. The U.S. Department of Energy explains that wind turbines convert moving air’s kinetic energy into electricity in its guide to wind power.
The panels above the turbine do a separate job. They convert sunlight into electricity through the photovoltaic effect, a process the U.S. Energy Information Administration describes in its overview of solar cells. Batteries hold electricity for later use. The system combines two weather-dependent sources with storage; it does not escape the limits of wind or sunlight.
MINAGIE says direct-drive generators and magnetic-levitation components reduce friction and maintenance needs. The Royal Academy profile says roughly 90% of the parts are designed and made in Ghana. Specialized components, including rare-earth magnets and wind-solar controllers, still come from abroad. Local manufacturing may help with repairs, while imported parts leave the system exposed to replacement delays and costs.
This differs from a solar-only kit or a wind-only turbine. The second source can help when the first produces less, and batteries shift some supply across time. But actual output still depends on the wind at a particular site, sunlight, the battery’s capacity, the clinic’s load and regular upkeep.
What the Two Clinic Pilots Have Shown
At Adeiso and Asitey, the systems power maternity wards, vaccine refrigerators, sterilisation equipment, lighting and digital health services. UNICEF Ghana reports that the Fusion systems generate more than 7,000 kilowatt-hours a year. The figure describes the clinic deployments; it is not a household output promise.
The agency says vaccines can now remain safely at the clinics instead of being moved to a district hospital during prolonged outages. The facilities serve more than 607 patients a month, around 36% of them children. UNICEF also reports savings of about GHS 750 a week as the clinics buy less diesel. These are reported results at the pilot sites, not a guaranteed return for future buyers.
“With the Fusion system at Asitey Health Centre, I believe those past experiences won’t repeat during emergencies.” -Amponsah Abigail
The installations came through UNICEF Ghana’s Startup Lab and a Scale-Up Fund grant. MINAGIE joined the program in 2024. UNICEF says the funding paid for two pilot systems and helped connect the company with Ghana’s Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service and district authorities.
That support meant the clinics did not have to shoulder the full cost of an unfamiliar system. It also gave the engineers access to public agencies and the people using the equipment. The pilots demonstrate a healthcare use case. They do not yet show how many institutions will buy the system without a grant.
Affordability Will Shape the Market
The need for dependable power is substantial. The World Bank estimates that roughly 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack electricity. Poor supply also disrupts health care, education and business, while diesel generators add fuel and maintenance costs.
MINAGIE is targeting clinics, schools, farms and community infrastructure. Their energy needs vary. A household may want lights and device charging. A clinic must protect vaccines and operate essential equipment. Cold storage or agro-processing can require more power for longer periods. A system used in a health centre does not automatically fit a farm or workshop.
MINAGIE’s website lists institutional units at about $13,500 and household turbines at $6,000, with battery-swap subscriptions. These are company-listed prices, not evidence of completed sales or total lifetime costs. At those price points, grant funding or financing terms may decide whether a clinic or household can afford installation.
The Royal Academy profile identifies hardware cost as a barrier. Buyers also need to budget for batteries, imported parts and service calls. A system that cannot be repaired quickly may leave a clinic back on diesel, even if its original purchase price looked competitive.
MINAGIE says it has trained 12 technicians through its MTEDI program. UNICEF describes plans to train five students and two community youths alongside a proposed school installation. Training can build local repair capacity and useful skills, but the company still needs income for spare parts, maintenance visits and warranties.
“We had the technology, but UNICEF Ghana gave us the ecosystem, which includes the partners, the mentors and the trust to demonstrate what was possible.” -Johannes Amo-Aye
MINAGIE’s Next Steps Are Still Targets
The Royal Academy of Engineering selected Amo-Aye for its 2026 Africa Prize cohort. MINAGIE’s plan calls for 25 turbines across Ghana in 2026, then 60 turbines and five service hubs in 2027. By 2028, the company aims to exceed 100 turbines and operate 10 hubs. Those figures are company targets, not completed deployments.
For health authorities considering a purchase, lifetime cost comparisons will matter as much as generation capacity. They need site records showing how much electricity the clinic uses, how often the unit is unavailable and what maintenance costs over time. More installations would show whether output and repair needs remain manageable under different conditions.
Ownership and responsibility also need to be clear. Buyers will want to know who insures the equipment, replaces batteries and responds to breakdowns. Those details affect whether the system remains dependable after its initial funding runs out.
Households will weigh price and installation. Businesses will compare power costs with losses from spoiled goods or idle machinery. A community microgrid could spread costs among a clinic, school and local businesses, but the two health-center pilots have not tested that model.
At Asitey and Adeiso, Fusion has made a practical difference: lighting, refrigeration and lower diesel purchases. That is evidence of a working clinic system. Whether it becomes affordable for homes and businesses depends on the next deployments, their maintenance records and who can finance them.
FAQs
Does Johannes Amo-Aye’s invention generate electricity from air?
No. The Fusion Wind Turbine converts moving air into electricity and uses solar panels to capture sunlight. Batteries store some of that power. Still air does not turn the turbine, and the system’s output depends on wind, sunlight, storage and demand at the site.
How much electricity have the pilots produced?
UNICEF Ghana reports that Fusion systems at the Adeiso and Asitey health centres generate more than 7,000 kilowatt-hours annually. The figure describes the clinic installations and should not be treated as a guaranteed output for a home or another site.
Where has the Fusion Wind Turbine been installed?
The documented pilot installations are at Asitey and Adeiso Health Centres in Ghana’s Eastern Region. UNICEF says they power maternity services, vaccine refrigeration, sterilisation equipment, lighting and digital health services.
Can the system power a home or business?
MINAGIE lists household and institutional systems and identifies schools, businesses and agriculture as potential customers. Its published performance evidence focuses on two clinics. Buyers would need to check system size, local wind, battery capacity and total cost against their own energy use.
What is the main barrier to wider adoption?
Affordability is a major barrier. The Royal Academy says hardware costs are high and buyers need support to switch from diesel. Customers must also plan for battery replacement, imported parts, maintenance and reliable local technicians.
What are MINAGIE’s expansion plans?
MINAGIE plans 25 turbines in 2026, 60 turbines and five hubs in 2027, and more than 100 turbines with 10 hubs by 2028. These are company targets. The two health centres remain the documented operating pilots in the Royal Academy profile.
