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Motorway Median Windmills

The Voltair Vertical Turbine Harnesses the Turbulent Air Behind Vehicles

— November 11, 2011 — Autos
Those wind tunnel streets that cause pedestrians to curse could assume a major redeeming quality thanks to the Voltair Vertical Turbine project. Recognizing the fact that cities require enormous amounts of electricity but that wind farms are typically erected in rural locations, Luis Castanheira Santos proposes an option perfectly suited to the metropolis.

His main focus is on the currents churned by fast-moving vehicles, so the suggestion is to place these vertical axis wind turbines along freeway barriers and the central dividers of major roads. The strength of the air's rush between two opposing streams of traffic would nearly double the draft and thus offer the ideal placement of Voltair Vertical Turbines. The green eggbeater piers could make highways more sustainable by powering digital signs and streetlights.
Trend Themes
1. Vertical Axis Wind Turbines on Highways - The use of vertical axis wind turbines on highways and major roads can harness the turbulent air behind fast-moving vehicles to generate sustainable energy.
2. Urban Wind Farming - The growing trend of urban wind farming seeks to tap into the powerful wind currents in cities as a source of renewable energy for urban infrastructure.
3. Smart Highway Signage and Lighting - Smart highway signage and lighting is a trend which utilizes sustainable energy sources, like wind power, to reduce environmental impacts and provide efficient infrastructure.
Industry Implications
1. Renewable Energy - The renewable energy industry can utilize vertical axis wind turbines on highways to access the powerful wind currents in urban areas for sustainable energy production.
2. Smart Infrastructure - The trend of smart infrastructure that utilizes sustainable energy sources can use urban wind farming as a renewable energy option for urban development.
3. Transportation and Highways - The transportation and highways industry can implement vertical axis wind turbines on highways to provide a sustainable energy source for digital signs, streetlights, and other infrastructure.
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