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The objective of this work is to understand the behaviour of a Savonius wind turbine (SWT) on two-lane highways located in Coimbatore district, India. Experiments were conducted by placing a Savonius wind turbine (SWT) on the sides of the highway during the southwest monsoon season in three different directional roads, i.e., southwest to northeast , south to north and west to east. Vehicles moving on the highway at varying speeds modify the velocity of air locally, which in turn results in varying the drag forces on the blades of SWT, setting it in motion. An economical SWT was designed, fabricated and tested in a wind tunnel and on the highways, and the angular rotational speeds were measured. Based on the data obtained, further analysis was done to understand the behavioural patterns of SWT. Data obtained from the experiments show a ''negative drag force'', which is created in two-way lanes by the vehicles moving in opposite direction, affecting the rotational speed of SWT by a significant proportion. These conditions have been studied and the results have been discussed.

The main aim of this work is to design, fabricate, and test a wind turbine for power generation applications in rural areas. Vertical Axis Wind Turbines were selected to harness the energy from wind through the drag forces induced due to vehicular movements. Various parameters were analyzed for the design of a low‐cost wind turbine. A Savonius blade was selected for the design, which could be accommodated on the median of the highways. By using recycled materials, a low‐cost wind turbine was fabricated at a cost of $117.5 approximately. The wind turbine was placed on the houses and on the highway medians to test the power output at various operating conditions. Average electricity consumption at selected rural houses were calculated. The calculated average electricity demand during power cuts in the selected rural houses was around 0.2–0.6 kWh/day. Average generated electricity from the turbine at highways was observed to be around 0.67 kWh/day. The Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of the generated electricity from the proposed SWT on highways is around $0.04/kWh. The LCOE of the proposed design is relatively cheaper when compared with the conventional horizontal axis wind turbines. The energy demand during power cuts was met completely when the SWT was placed on the highways. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38: 278–285, 2019