Application of wind turbine on highways to generate free electricity

Abstract

Malaysia intends to find alternative energy resources in electricity generation. The objective of the project is to design a wind turbine to recapture wind energy from vehicles on the highway. Spatial wind mapping could provide an informative picture of wind data. Wind data measured at a height of 10m for nine selected potential sites in Malaysia were obtained from the Malaysian Meteorological Department. In this study, variations of wind speed according to height, Weibull distribution and spatial wind mapping by Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) were analyzed. The results revealed that, both wind resources at sites, Mersing and Kudat, have higher potential to develop a modem wind system. Wind energy is considered the fastest growing clean energy source. However, it is limited by varying natural wind. Highways can provide a considerable amount of wind to drive a turbine due to high vehicle traffic, which is unused. Extensive research on wind patterns is required to determine the average velocity of the wind created by oncoming vehicles. The wind turbines will be placed on the medians therefore fluid flow from both sides of the highway will be considered in the design. Using all of the collected data, existing streetlights on the medians can be fitted with these wind turbines. Additionally, since the wind source will fluctuate, a storage system for the power generated will be designed to distribute and maintain a constant source of power. Ideally, the turbine can be used globally as an unlimited power source for streetlights and other public amenities.