Harnessing the Power of Passing Vehicles: The Potential of a Small Turbine
UK's Alpha 311 innovates with a wind turbine that effortlessly captures passing vehicle breeze Easily mountable on streetlights, this small turbine harnesses the power of the wind, revolutionizing renewable energy solutions
At the top of the O2 Arena, one of London's biggest indoor venues, sits a unique collection of wind turbines.
These turbines are unlike the traditional ones seen on land and in the ocean. Standing at less than six feet (1.8 meters) tall, they are much smaller and generate less energy.
Their small size gives them a strategic advantage as they can be deployed in various locations and retrofitted onto existing streetlights. They can be powered by both wind and the artificial breeze created by passing vehicles, making them versatile and efficient. According to Barry Thompson, CEO of Alpha 311, the company that designed the turbines, "If you stand next to the road and a bus comes past, you feel that airflow. Why is nobody harnessing the energy that cars are generating when they drive past?"
Now, after the successful trial at the O2, Alpha 311 is preparing to launch a refined version of the turbine that will be suitable for commercial installations.
Like an F1 car
In 2020, Thompson and mechanical engineer John Sanderson founded Alpha 311 after creating a turbine prototype in Thompson's backyard during the Covid-19 lockdowns. With the assistance of an external company, they developed a more refined version and shared photos on Thompson's LinkedIn profile. The prototype gained attention from the O2 after being featured in local news reports. "The facilities manager saw it and asked, Can we have these on the O2? He wanted to support a startup and conduct real-world testing," Thompson explained.
Three of the turbines were installed on the O2, although one was removed after storm Eunice, which damaged the venue in 2022.
Alpha 311 co-founder Barry Thompson at one of the roads in Telford, UK, where its turbines will be installed.
Alpha 311
Utilizing the same carbon fiber as an F1 car, each 5.9 feet (1.8 meter) tall turbine weighs approximately 88 pounds (40 kilograms), with the turning section weighing just over 30 pounds. "We have created an exceptionally lightweight wind turbine," remarks Thompson. "It rotates much more effortlessly than heavier glass fiber or metal wind turbines. Additionally, we make use of streetlights for the road installation as the pole is already connected to the grid."
He further explains that the streetlights' cabling was designed for traditional lighting fixtures, which necessitated more energy than current LED bulbs. Consequently, the infrastructure needed to handle the electricity generated by the turbine is already in place. The energy can be harnessed immediately to power the streetlight, with any surplus able to be sold back into the grid, offering a revenue source for the local governing body overseeing or owning the road.
Orbit Fab
This company is looking to establish gas stations in space. The turbine is designed to capture the air movement of passing vehicles, with a small car moving at 50 miles per hour providing enough air displacement for the turbine to rotate at 12 miles per hour. In a highway installation, each turbine can produce an average of 30 times the power of a 300W solar panel, and the equivalent of about 14 panels when installed on a building.
Over the past year, Thompson has dedicated his time to developing a scalable, commercial version of the turbine. "We've been utilizing computational fluid dynamics and redesigning the turbine to optimize efficiency," he explains. "Currently, we are preparing to conduct wind tunnel testing in collaboration with a UK university, and after that, we will begin marketing the product."
Thompson has garnered significant interest from more than 900 entities across 117 countries, including private companies and local authorities. He already has approximately 70 proposals lined up for tangible installations, spanning various locations such as stadiums, factories, warehouses, bridges, toll roads, and gas stations.
Extra sensors
The borough of Telford and Wrekin, near Birmingham in England, will be the location of the first public road with an Alpha 311 installation. The company plans to install a total of 181 turbines in the first half of next year, with the goal of making the councils 20,000 streetlights carbon neutral.
Alasdair McDonald, a professor at the University of Edinburgh's School of Engineering in Scotland, who is not affiliated with Alpha 311, finds the concept intriguing. However, he points out size and location constraints with the turbines. "Small wind turbines typically have lower energy output per rotor area compared to larger ones due to their lower positioning and reduced wind exposure," he explains.
He also mentions that the wind is generally more turbulent at lower altitudes, making it challenging to harness energy and causing additional strain on the turbines. Additionally, there is a trade-off between extracting energy from vehicle wakes and the general wind, as roads are often deliberately shielded from wind.
X Shore
The "Tesla of the seas" will transport students to school in Sweden.
Alpha 311 explains that they analyze each installation location to determine traffic flow, vehicle numbers and sizes, and average traffic speed. They add that if the turbines are installed in the center of a highway, the airflow is effectively doubled, leading to "up to eight times more volume of air that can be converted into energy." The company also points out that many key roads with trees or fencing to reduce noise can create a tunneling effect on the wind, allowing the turbines to function even during light traffic, such as late at night.
McDonald notes that the innovative aspect of the turbine is the ability to mount it onto lampposts, although retrofitting them onto existing ones could pose a challenge.
Priced at £15,000 (approximately $18,000) each, the turbines may be costly, but they have the potential to significantly lower electricity bills for organizations that install them. Furthermore, they can ultimately generate free electricity, resulting in a return on investment in just a few years, according to Thompson.
In addition to generating energy, the turbines can also be equipped with sensors to track air quality and traffic patterns. Thompson anticipates the installation of 200 turbines next year, with plans to expand into the thousands as manufacturing processes improve. "Implementing renewable technologies like ours at the local level directly benefits the surrounding communities," he explains. "This is essential for transitioning to a decentralized, renewable energy-powered society."
