Wind turbines activated from passing vehicles will generate enough electricity to run all the street lights for a Shropshire town, in a UK first.
The vertical turbines, invented by a British company Alpha 311 say they can harness even a moderate breeze generated by a car driving at 50mph, as well as by natural wind, and catch airflow moving in either direction.
They will be installed on 181 street lights on the A442 after a deal between Telford and Wrekin Council and the firm which hopes the turbines could become as common as cat’s eyes on the roads.
The turbines will provide electricity to the grid, and are expected to generate a surplus beyond the needs of Telford’s 20,000 street lights.
One wind turbine in the middle of a motorway can generate as much electricity as 30 solar panels, or nearly enough to power two homes, according to estimates from Alpha 311.
The idea for the turbine was developed by the company’s two co-founders during long commutes along the M2.
“It was at a time when Kent county council was turning the lights off to save money. Following behind trucks we could see the turbulence being displaced and the impact on the foliage,” said co-founder Barry Thompson.
“That’s wasted energy. And by doing it this way instead of with a large turbine, we are not uprooting the landscape,” he added.
Six other councils are interested in installing the technology on their street lights, and the company says it is in talks with local authorities overseas, including in the city of Chicago.
The company has already installed 10 of its vertical turbines on the O2
Arena, once the Millennium Dome, in London, which can produce power equivalent to powering 23 homes.
