The Winds of Travel
Multi-Tasking Taken to a Whole New Green Level
Have you stood near a roadway and been buffeted by the gusts of wind from passing cars, or nearly knocked over by the force of wind from a big rig truck? That is energy gone to waste ….. until now. Mark Oberholzer, a professor of landscape architecture at Rice University in Houston, proposes installing small vertical-axis wind turbines (Darius turbines), inside the concrete highway dividers to generate power. Utilizing the wind energy created by passing traffic.
The concrete barriers used to separate opposite sides of traffic on multi-lane highway systems are known by various names, K-rails, Pennsylvania Separators, and Jersey barriers or Jersey walls. Now, when Oberholzer’s ingenious idea becomes a reality, these barriers will acquire new names – like Energy Walls or K-rails of Power, (or maybe not).
“In Houston our landscape is highways,” Oberholzer says of the inspiration for his design. “Opposing streams of traffic create really incredible potential in terms of a guaranteed wind source,”
He proposes that by replacing sections of solid concrete with those housing double-stacked Darius turbines will efficien tly capture the wind from both directions and harvest enough energy to power an adjacent light-rail line or subway. Using the power where it’s generated, rather than redistributing it through the grid, avoids energy losses that occur during transportation and eliminates the cost of adding extra infrastructure.
Oberholzer said, “I love the idea of siphoning off electricity generated by private transportation to run public transportation.”
This brilliant concept can fall into a number of green categories from sustainable power to energy recycling to the original purpose of human safety. Here in Texas, it would simply be called “killing two birds with one stone.”
Related articles by Zemanta
- Deliver Clean Energy to Distant Cities (wired.com)
- Wind turbine helps power Edmonton classroom (canada.com)
- Powerhouse Wind’s Unique Single Blade Wind Turbine (ecofriendlymag.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=47b71929-cacb-4805-bf7f-7ee086fef1b4)
Tags: Business, energy, Houston, Renewable, Rice University, Texas, Wind Power, wind turbine
June 12th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
What a great idea! I love it…I hope it happens for Houston sooner than later! Other cities should follow suit too!
Barbaras last blog post..Relax With Barbara On Wednesday 41
June 13th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Hi Barbara … Houston is nothing but K-rails on every freeway so it makes sense to do this.
June 13th, 2009 at 7:45 am
The Winds of Travel | Forced Green…
Have you stood near a roadway and been buffeted by the gusts of wind from passing cars, or nearly knocked over by the force of wind from a big rig truck?…
June 13th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Hi Linda,
What an ingenious idea. I love how people come up with ways to utilize that which we already have to make a new resource. Like you said, “it does kill two birds with one stone”. Awesome!
June 13th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Hi Barbara … It is unique and it would be just so easy to implement especially in Houston.
June 13th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Oh my dayz Blad what a fantastic idea man. Sorry I am in my rapping mode, just been talking to my Son rofl. I think it is these ideas that can pull us out of the mess the previous generations got us into. We need this innovation and a new green revolution to help us and this proves that if there is also political will we can steam ahead much quicker. Lovely article Linda.
June 13th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
What an amazing idea. This needs to put into use all over.
June 14th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
That is a great idea for sure-
June 14th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
This is such a great idea: tapping into what is already available.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:24 am
What a bloody brilliant idea!! Glad to read that – it’s right there, so why not use it? Just when I think that mankind will do itself in, just a few generations down the road, I see something like this that reminds me about the great minds that are out there, and the simple clear thinking that just might get us out of the mess we are in. I suspect that the keys to overhauling our ideas about energy are right under our noses. Thanks for the good post. Bonnie
Bonnie Storys last blog post..Foxglove is coming!
June 15th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Wonderful information always found here!
Barbaras last blog post..Take A “Green” Vacation!
June 15th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Hi yanjiaren … thank you and we ARE making progress.
Hi connie … I agree but I think they are going to try it in Houston first. Believe me they have the traffice!
Hi Maureen … Good ideas come from the young uns too!
Hi Karen … Never hurts to improve what we are already using!
June 15th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Hi Bonnie … You are correct! ONce we the people understand that we have more or less all of the tools now and look at how we can improve them, voila! we get ideas like this! Thank you!
June 15th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
that’s a neat idea. i definitely have felt like i could be knocked over from the wind from semi-trucks.
cadys last blog post..Baby Week
June 16th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Hi cady … I think either cars, trucks or semis you can get knocked around with the wind generated.
June 16th, 2009 at 10:40 am
I’m surprised no one thought of it sooner – it’s an abundant source of energy, that’s for sure!
corrins last blog post..Party Girl
June 16th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Hi corrin … It is amazing that something so simple comes out now. But it is here, implementable and certainly a good use for all over the world.
June 16th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
WoW, this is so far the best green energy that I ever seen, Linda! However, it might cost a lot of $$$ to construct it…
wilsons last blog post..Only Take Coughing Medicine When Necessary!
June 17th, 2009 at 12:53 am
What a fantastic idea!!! Glad to see those uni people are putting their smart minds to work haha
ladyGraces last blog post..Child Abuse!!??
June 17th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Hi Wilson … It may cost some $$$’s but the benefits are good and the return on investment should be great.
June 17th, 2009 at 6:34 am
Hi LadyGrace … Yep! the professor is working smart.
June 19th, 2009 at 4:14 am
It amazing to learn about this great ideas. Surely it’s cost effective and very beneficial as well.
Mattss last blog post..US Open Golf Championship 2009 Live Free Streaming
June 19th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Hi Matts … Yes and its sustainable as well.