Millions of road vehicles and thousands of trains and aircraft operating in the UK could generate huge amounts of free and even profitable energy, says a leading sustainability engineer.
Anthony Coumidis, Director of Environmental Initiatives with London-based construction and design consultancy McBains Cooper says that mini windfarms alongside motorways, railway tracks and at the ends of airport runways could and should be designed-in or retro-installed.
“Any and every organisation that has access to a location or resource where wind-derived energy can be generated is in an ideal position to establish its own energy service provision business, which, at worst, subsidises the cost of the energy it uses, or, at best, can sell the excess energy generated,” said Anthony Coumidis.
“You need only stand by the side of a road where traffic is fast moving, on a railway platform as a train goes by, or look at videos of how far a jet aircraft’s engines will blow something as big as a van, to feel or see the potential for power to be generated by passing vehicles and the air they displace.
“For most of the day, the wind generated by vehicles on motorways is relentless, on busy railway lines there will be huge movements of air every few minutes, while few can conceive the power of the jet blast from an aircraft at takeoff – but some will knock over a man standing more than 400 metres away.
“While the electricity generated could provide power for street lighting, for rail passenger services such as lighting shops or escalators, for non-operational power requirements at airports, the excess could also be channelled into the national grid as a revenue generator.
“At least one EU country is currently looking very closely at installing wind turbines alongside busy motorways to generate energy to cover street lighting by night, and to sell on by day.
“The great thing about wind turbines in these sorts of locations is that a key objection – noise generated by wind turbines – becomes irrelevant. Careful design and consideration regarding location will also mean they are completely safe even in proximity to traffic or trains, while those located at airports could be located hundreds of meters from passing aircraft.”
McBains Cooper has offices in London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, Windsor, Lima (Peru) and Mexico City, with associate offices in Belfast and Dublin. |
