Arizona State architectural student, identified only as Joe, says his idea is to retrofit horizontal steel structures that currently hold freeway signs with two horizontal-axis wind turbines powered by the turbulence from passing cars. (Joe admits borrowing the turbine design from U.K. based quietrevolution). He figures (without showing figures) that with an average vehicle speed of about 70 mph and an average wind speed of 10 mph, each turbine could annually produce 9,600kWh.
Inventor and consultant Larry Dobson has built a working model of his vertical axis involute spiral drag propulsion wind turbine. He posts a video of it at http://tinyurl.com/larrydobson. He says he has experimented with several designs to find a best one. Dobson says the vertical axis wind turbine is a drag propulsion device with strong lift components that let the rim exceed wind speed, which continually diverts wind mass to work on the sail. Results from two tests indicate he can increase the low-speed power significantly over a horizontal axis wind turbine, largely because it uses drag from large surface-area vanes instead of just lift propulsion from a thin airfoil-shaped blade.
The Wind Tunnel Footbridge is part modern sculpture, part green technology, and part weird admits Designer Michael Jantzen. He surrounds the bridge with five bladed wheels that spin… like windmills. Each wheel spins in an opposite direction and at varying speeds to make best use of wind direction. Best of all, he says, this entertaining concept bridge could harness the wind that propels it to produce and store energy. Jantzen suggests constructing these at public attractions such as museums and parks, but would like to see them replace skywalks over highways.
::Windpower Engineering::
i think wind turbines are very cool
Very good idea! Could also put something in the road that produces electrical energy as vehicles drive over it.
i agree with tour idea of putting a wind turbine over a freeway would be perfect since the speed of the cars help produce alot of wind