turbine light by Jung Geun Tak from usa

Turbine Light

Light up Incheon Metropolis by harvesting renewable energy contained in the air turbulence generated by moving cars.

Problems:

These days, the harmonious colors and patterns of street lights contribute to the essential design elements of a glittering city, and the most modern cities use these lights to enhance the tourism experience; however, lighting up a city consumes a tremendous amount of energy.

Many cities around the world attempt to use renewable energy from wind or solar power for city lighting. Wind energy is playing an increasing role in providing electrical power, but one of the biggest obstacles to the widespread use of wind power generation is that many areas just aren’t that windy. In the US, for example, wind suitable for power generation is concentrated on the coasts and in parts of the Midwest. Finding a place to install the turbine becomes a major issue because a common weakness of wind technology is its requirement for large areas of land and sea over which to harvest the energy contained in moving air. What can be done to wind turbines to make them more efficient, more cost-effective and more reliable for Incheon Metropolis?

How can we catch two rabbits?
Can we bring more lights to the city to create a beautiful night landscape for Incheon Metropolis and also keep Incheon Metropolis a 'greener' city? How can these objectives work together harmoniously?

Solutions:

Our concept design of the Turbine Light is addressing these challenges in a variety of innovative ways.

1.'Greener' Value: Harvesting energy from the wind generated by moving cars.

This Turbine Light is designed to light up the night using energy from the wind generated by moving cars by capturing the air flowing around the car to turn the turbine and therefore gain some renewable energy. Wind speed is important for wind energy. Traditional wind turbines need a constant, average wind speed of about 14 miles per hour before the wind turbines can generate electricity. However, the Turbine Light attempts to address this challenge as the Turbine Light is suitable for installation where the power is being consumed, even in areas with light winds. The design takes advantage of a car's aerodynamics to maximize windflow and the vertical-axis design that uses a small installed footprint. The Turbine Light design eliminates the geared hub design found in other turbines, and this allows the unit to run more quietly and with less vibration. It doesn't really matter where the winds are; the fact is that the electricity generated from them can be piped to wherever its needed. We hope the Turbine Lights will help meet the energy needs of Incheon Metropolis , even if they are not located in prime “windy” areas.

2. 'Lighting as the beauty and identity of Incheon Metropolis':

Creating a distinctive identity for the city is not an easy task as not all the lighting designs are fully harmonized into one cohesive theme. However, we note the fact that Incheon Metropolis is a complex city, one that is simply too big for only one theme, and the multiple characteristics of the various local areas constitute Incheon's identity. A considered design of the Turbine Light will help create new landmarks and a new identity for the city. LED provides great freedom for creating a unique shape of lights, unlike CFL bulbs, that allows the Turbine Light to be designed in the shape of a 'Y'. This extended arm shape will make not only a wider area of illumination but also a beautiful light pattern for the city, and will make over the utilitarian style expressway and streetscape that currently dominate the city.