Pittsfield Township-based Accio Energy, which is developing a wind energy device that generates electricity without moving parts, landed a $250,000 investment from Oakland County-based economic development group Automation Alley.

The startup company will use the funding to continue enhancing its "aerovoltaic" device, which uses the wind to separate electrical charges on thin engineered tubes, creating electricity.

Accio Energy CEO Dawn White, who was not immediately available to comment this morning, has called the company's device the "Model T of wind energy."

"With the investment, we will accelerate our development of transformational electrokinetic wind energy systems which will combine reliability and affordability with a solution that is modular and scales," White, who also founded defense technology firm Solidica, said in a statement. "We are excited to be building these innovative new products in Michigan."

Company officials are being careful not to publicly reveal too many details about their device due to intellectual property concerns.

But they've said they believe the modular device could be used in wind energy farms.

The investment is the latest round of small-scale investment for the company:

--Accio in December won a $250,000 contract from the U.S. Defense Research Projects Agency to continue the development of its prototype. As part of the grant, the company is working with Tuscon, Ariz.-based Applied Energetics Inc. to address power conditioning issues associated with the wind energy device. The company is also studying how its device could be used as a portable power solution for solders.

--The National Science Foundation gave Accio a $94,000 grant in early 2009 in a decision seen as an endorsement of the company's basic technology.

--Accio also received an $80,000 venture capital investment from the student-run Frankel Commercialization Fund at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.