The global demand for electricity is increasing year by year as fossil fuel resources are shrinking and the environment is being polluted by its combustion. That is why leading countries are relentlessly searching for new sources of clean and renewable energy.
Wind energy occupies a fairly important place in the balance of global “green” generation, but so far turbines are installed mainly in coastal areas where the wind is constant and stronger. Turkish company Deveci Tech has fundamentally changed the approach to the issue, showing that it is possible to collect wind energy right on the streets of cities or intercity highways.
Engineers from Istanbul have created the ENLIL vertical wind turbine (named after the Mesopotamian god of wind and storms), which is powered by the air currents created by fast-moving cars. Swirls from passing heavy trucks and buses cause the wind turbine to spin even harder, and the vertical arrangement of the long blades ensures maximum flow capture.
The Enlil turbines take up very little space on the ground and are easy to assemble and disassemble and operate, the company says. A solar panel attached to the top of the wind turbine frame additionally captures renewable and clean solar energy, while built-in sensors monitor CO2 levels above the roadway. The units under test have a capacity of 1 kWh.
Aerodynamic profile of the turbine blades, the rear part of which is more curved than the front, provides optimal spinning of the propeller: capturing even a small swirl of air from a passing car, it untwists with increasing amplitude, not damping, producing new whirls already by the movement of its blades.
The Enlil wind turbine is connected to a generator, and the energy produced can be fed into the grid or stored in batteries until it is needed. In addition to highway curbs and railroad tracks, such turbines can be installed on embankments, rooftops, and parks. But according to the developers, the location near the busy traffic is optimal, because the almost incessant flow of cars ensures uninterrupted operation of the installation.
It is worth noting that the innovative wind turbine from Enlil is still under development. Turkish engineers do not stop research to improve its design and increase its efficiency and durability.