Can Traffic Help Produce Energy?

Think about all that energy just ready to be captured on roadways.

Transcript

00:00Cars.

00:03They're a primary source of greenhouse gas emissions, fumes that are leading to climate

00:07change.

00:08But now a revolutionary device wants cars to be part of the solution rather than part

00:12of the problem.

00:13This is tech company Alpha 311's prototype vertical axis wind turbine.

00:18But rather than rely on natural winds, this turbine attaches to lampposts and uses the

00:22wind created by cars whizzing by to produce energy.

00:25So how much energy can one of these little turbines actually produce?

00:28Well, more than you might imagine.

00:29Each turbine is around 6.5 feet tall, but can generate the same amount of power as a

00:33nearly 70 square foot solar panel.

00:35And in places like England where the turbine is being developed, solar is a less viable

00:39option anyways due to the cloudy weather.

00:41Meaning capturing the wind from a passing semi-truck is like plucking energy straight

00:45out of the air.

00:46The company is currently trialing the turbines in U.S. cities.