Wind turbines powered by vehicle traffic
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HOUSTON, May 1 Innovative designs for new wind turbines could help further expand the market and add more sources of renewable power.The Jersey Barrier, the runner-up in last year's Metropolis Next Generation Design Competition, incorporates vertical-axis wind turbines into highway dividers, Business Week reported.Designed by Mark Oberholzer, a professor of architecture at Rice University in Houston, the integrated turbine and barrier would harness the wind generated by passing cars to create energy."Opposing streams of traffic create really incredible potential in terms of a guaranteed wind source," Oberholzer said. Though his project is still in the research phase, Oberholzer is evolving his idea to capture the most energy and efficiently supply power to nearby applications."The technical problems of tying into the grid and managing the flow made me think of putting the power to a different use," he said. "I'm pretty excited about integrating a subway or light-rail train right where the barrier is. I love the idea of siphoning off electricity generated by private transportation to run public transportation." There is also a fast-growing company called Magenn Power Inc. that is developing a floating turbine called the MARS turbine. It harnesses wind from the jet stream as it uses helium to float, tethered to the ground.Copyright 2007 by UPI
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