Q: What is Induced Wind Technology?
A: It is a mechanism to generate electricity from the currently untapped resource of moving vehicles on our road system. Median Wind’s vertical axis wind turbine generators are secured atop roadway median barriers, and the air displaced by passing vehicles is caught by rotating sails to create electricity. The shape of the sails has been engineered to capture both forward moving and upward driven air that is uniquely present at the highway median barrier.

Q: How much power does each turbine generate?
A: Each Median Wind turbine generates up to 1 kilowatt (1 kW) when the highway wind averages 14 mph. 100 miles of Median Wind highway would produce enough electricity to power 35,000 homes.

Q: Is there enough wind to have an impact on our energy needs?
A: Yes, each mile of highway will support 1,760 Median Wind turbines and produce 0.46 megawatts (MW) of pollution-free renewable electricity. One hundred miles of Median Wind highway at as little as 14mph winds would produce as much electricity as a 46 megawatt combined cycle power plant – enough to power a major urban center.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: Median Wind turbines are not available for retail sale, but production costs average less than $1,500 each at scale.

Q: Is it cost effective?
A: Absolutely. Since the Median Wind turbine has been engineered to have a 10 year life expectancy, each one can go on to produce almost $20,000 of electricity. Median Wind power costs about 1/4th as much to build as a nuclear power plant of equivalent size.

Q: How much wind is required?
A: The Median Wind turbines are self-starting and begin producing electricity in air speeds as low as 2 mph. Average highway wind speeds are 7-14 mph, but with traffic moving at 65 mph or higher, wind induced at the median barrier can be as high as 20mph. Even without the benefit of induced wind from passing traffic, the world’s average prevailing wind speed is 7mph.

Q: Are wind turbines on the highway safe?
A: Yes, vehicles accidentally contacting the median barrier should not travel high enough to impact the turbine. In addition, Median Wind and the Department of Transportation have done extensive crash testing to ensure the turbines do not create a projectile threat when impacted by a vehicle that manages to climb the median barrier. Finally, electrical wires are shielded by steel plates and are designed to shear within the base and trip a fuse breaker so a hot wire would not be exposed in an accident.

Q: Are Median Wind turbines harmless to animals?
A: Yes, because our turbines are present at the center of the highway, they do not create any additional barrier or threat to wildlife. In addition, because Median Wind turbines are close to the ground they do not interfere with birds in flight.

Q: Are wind turbines noisy?
A: No, vertical-axis wind turbines are quieter than conventional “propeller” shaped wind turbines, and Median Wind turbines have been engineered specifically for low noise operation. Aerodynamic noise is low because the vertical-axis turbines have short arms, and mechanical noise is minimized because the generator components are insulated by the concrete barrier they are housed inside. Furthermore, the noisy highway median environment blankets any negligible noise the generators produce.

Q: Where will it be installed?
A: Pending funding approval, Median Wind installations are planned for 15 states: California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Median Wind is appropriate for all 50 states, and we expect the remaining states and other nations to adopt the system in the future as well.

Q: When will we begin to benefit from clean power generation?
A: Median Wind installation could begin in Nebraska, Texas, and California in mid 2010, and expand at a rate of up to 5 miles per month. Other states and countries will follow.

Q: What is a smart grid?
A: A smart grid replaces our antiquated national electricity network with modern technologies that can adapt to changing supply and demand. It increases reliability, reduces costs, and can help save energy.

Q: Why is a smart grid important?
A: Without a smart grid, new sources of alternative energy cannot be added. There simply isn’t enough transmission capacity in the current grid, and the challenges of unpredictable energy production from alternative energy sources require the intelligent controls of a smart grid.

Q: How will Median Wind build a smart grid?
A: Because the Median Wind turbines are linked to together along the highway system, they provide new high voltage transmission lines that connect our cities and states together. The Median Wind system is installed in locations around the country seeking new sources of clean power, and they will eventually meet to connect distant power sources and consumers together.