Non-Natural Wind - WATRIC Energy Resources

Inspired by the high costs of providing illumination for roads in our Island, we developed a Vertical Wind Turbine that generates energy using the non-natural wind produced by moving vehicles.

Inspired by the high costs of road lighting, we developed a Vertical Wind Turbine that generates energy using the wind produced by moving vehicles.

VERTICAL WIND TURBINE

In Puerto Rico alone, the Electric Power Authority calculates an expenditure of $125 dollars per light post, a total cost of $114 million dollars annually to tax-payers, as reported in 2013. Those numbers don’t just represent an environmental problem, but also an economic challenge for our island and other countries alike.

Almost imperceptible by everyone, non-natural wind energy is part of our daily routine: when we go to work, school, shopping, or anywhere else that involves driving to a destination. Moving vehicles produce small airwaves full of energy on its sides, a resource that has not been fully capitalized until now.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTION

Our Vertical Wind Turbines generate energy based on traffic patterns, making them completely independent of weather conditions, making it a reliable energy source 24 hours a day. Their vertical axis design allows them to use wind regardless of its direction and speed. They work at variable low and high wind speeds, making the most out of all the wind generated by vehicles.

For example, our design works with one car creating wind speeds ranging from 8 to 24 mph, without taking into account the wind speed generated by multiple vehicles and the occasional combination with natural occurring wind.

Applications go from highway illumination to power supply of street signs, billboards and other structures. To ensure its functionality in different applications, we have tested our prototypes at various street conditions such as highways, streets in urban areas, coastal roads, and tunnels. We are currently optimizing the power storage system to guarantee a constant energy supply while working on our first full-scale implementation.