Much of the discussion that I have seen around this wind turbine that captures wasted energy from passing traffic has centered around the extra drag on the vehicles which I think would be minimal and the rate of return on investment in making these turbines. Energy conservation didn't even make it onto the agenda. What are your thoughts, does this wind turbine system make sense to you?
It takes a lot of strong wind to make a turbine turn.
I'd need more information - the turbulence caused by these turbines would interfere with the laminar flow of air around the fairing of the vehicle. It could result in drag on the passing vehicle. In that case it could turn out that the turbine is actually being powered by the increased petrol consumption of the passing traffic, which would be an inefficient and deeply polluting way to generate electricity, as well as defrauding the motorists.
Agreed.
You've hit the nail on the head there! I am pretty sure the system results in a small amount of increased drag on the passing vehicles. The spinning turbine is throwing off wind from each side of the traffic flow into the other side creating turbulence and possibly even a small headwind.