The future may see small wind turbines fitted to lampposts in a strategic partnership between IT company NVT Group and green technology firm Own Energy.
This partnership will lead to 25 brand new jobs within the coming year, with this being expected to grow to 300 jobs within the next three years.
The UK currently has around 10 million lampposts, and at least a fifth of these are believed to be suitable hosts for wind turbines thanks to Own Energy’s development of a new small turbine and inverter. The wind turbine generates raw energy that is subsequently conditioned by the custom inverter and fed into the national grid.
Each turbine could in theory prevent half a ton of carbon from being emitted. If equipped to all of the two million suitable lampposts, this would potentially reduce emissions by a million tons.
The approach should counter some of the arguments against wind energy. For example, as turbines are installed atop an existing structure, less material is needed to manufacture a functional unit, so the initial carbon footprint will be smaller. In addition, it may mean that fewer wind farms need to be established in areas of natural beauty, which some people find to be a blot on the landscape.
An increased number of wind turbines should also bode well for the lubricant industry, because the use of high-performance lubricants like Mobilith SHC 220 and Mobilgear SHC XMP 320 are critical to the efficient operation of turbines and long-term protection from wear.