Japan-based housing and environmental equipment maker Nikko [JP] today said it plans to mass-produce a tiny wind turbine for home use by October next year.

Nikko claims their new wind turbine unit will cost somewhere between $5,600 and $6,700 and is just 2 meters in diameter. The company currently has a small wind turbine in its line-up that costs $11,000, which seems to be too much to enter the mass market.

Nikko claims the new model can generate more electricity than a comparable solar power system as long as average wind speeds are faster than 4-5 meters per second.

The wind turbine is supposed to have a power output of 1kw. Nikko hopes to sell 200 units initially and then increase this number tenfold by the end of 2010.

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]