Wind from Trains Produces Electricity

April 26, 2011


Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. whooshing (adj.) [hwoosh-ing] – having a rushing sound produced when strong wind or water passes
Example: The plane made a whooshing sound as it took off.

2. convert (v.) [kuhn-vurt] – to change something into a different form or feature
Example: The banker converted my dollar bills to yen.

3. install (v.) [in-stawl]  – to put or attach in a certain position to be ready for usage
Example: A cable needs to be installed before the computer can be used.

4. remote (adj.) [ri-moht] – extremely far away; separated from the main area
Example: Remote villages in some countries do not have electricity.


Article
Read the text below.

Whooshing wind from passing trains can now be used to produce electricity.

Two designers from China have developed a device called T-Box which captures  wind from trains and converts it to electricity. Partly buried in between the rails, the device has a turbine that spins as the wind passes. A turbine is a machine that produces energy by spinning.

According to its designers, 150 T-Boxes can be installed in almost 1 km of railway. A high-speed train which normally runs at 125 mph can produce at least 3,500 watts, the same power produced by a small electric generator.

A train with a speed of 187 mph running on less than 1 km of rail can produce 2,600 watts. This amount of energy is enough to supply 40% to 100% of electricity in one house.

The T-box won a silver medal in innovation and was put on display in a learning institute in Taiwan.

The energy produced by T-boxes can be used to provide much needed electricity to remote places in China and perhaps other parts of the world.



Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A

·         Do you think the world is running out of energy? Please explain your answer.
·         Do you agree that using other sources of energy is practical? Why or why not?

Discussion B

·         Why do you think some places do not have electricity even in our modern times?
·         What do you think are other possible solutions to the lack of energy or electricity in some parts of the world?

April 26, 2011