Wind turbine uses air generated by passing trucks to power roadside devices

French motorway operator Autoroutes Paris Rhin-Rhône (APPR) is testing the use of a vertical-axis wind turbine from Cita Production that can also harness the backdraft from passing trucks to increase output by some 20 per cent. The device, which has been tested successfully on the A6 motorway and will shortly go into full production, is designed to power roadside devices such as road signs, cameras, traffic monitoring sensors, and weather stations, where connection to the electricity grid would be too expen
May 15, 2012 Read time: 1 min
French motorway operator 5542 Autoroutes Paris Rhin-Rhône (APRR) is testing the use of a vertical-axis wind turbine from Cita Production that can also harness the backdraft from passing trucks to increase output by some 20 per cent. The device, which has been tested successfully on the A6 motorway and will shortly go into full production, is designed to power roadside devices such as road signs, cameras, traffic monitoring sensors, and weather stations, where connection to the electricity grid would be too expensive. APPR plans to deploy different models at up to five sites over the next few weeks.

Development of the vertical-axis wind turbine is a diversification for Cita Production, a specialist in boiler and mechanical welding for the nuclear industry.

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