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Treeva (revisited)

On Saturday, 27th September 2025, one industry celebrates a rather significant birthday. It will be 200 years since the launch of the railway, when a steam train carrying hundreds of passengers and freight journeyed a modest 26 miles between Shildon and Stockton at the official opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. Since then, rail travel has come a long way, moving from steam to diesel and now to electrification, ferrying millions of passengers every day. Unfortunately, despite technological advancements, it still suffers from the highest energy demands of any mode of transport, with railways constantly seeking reliable solutions. Treeva has developed a solution to help the railway industry with reliable renewable power, using vertical Treeva Turbines powered by the airflow of passing trains. Their technology can also be implemented along roadsides to harness energy from passing cars, and they are even investigating its use at airports. 

We profiled Treeva as a technology spotlight a couple of years ago, but with the anniversary of the railway approaching, we checked in to see what has been happening since and spoke with their founder and CEO, Anjali Devadasan. 

Treeva has been busy undertaking projects, with the first pilot project started in 2023. This was a single Treeva Turbine Mark I (MI) nicknamed Panda (owing to its black-and-white colours) placed at the roadside. It delivered outstanding results, with a reported 38% efficiency, significantly higher than the 12 – 17% usually achieved in typical systems. Additionally, a conventional turbine can break within 2 – 3 years if placed by the road or railway owing to vibrations of passing cars/trains. This is not the case for Treeva, with their first turbine still spinning and not slowing down, with a minimum 15-year lifespan.  

Away from the roadside, the company is completing deployments with the rail industry, situating their turbines by the side of the line. This has proved to be the most rewarding industry, driven by the need for reliable power and reduced energy costs. Partners include the Very Light Railway in Dudley, which launched in Autumn 2024. These projects have demonstrated that Treeva Turbines can work effectively at the rail side and be easily installed, making use of the typically unused land next to the railway line. Their turbines are used to power non-traction infrastructure, including stations and train depots. 

The company is continually improving their solution, with three key criteria essential to success according to Anjali: 

  • Their turbines must be easy to install, ensuring that large-scale adoption can be undertaken quickly. 
  • The turbines must perform well, ensuring that they are effective energy harvesters.  
  • The Treeva team keeps sustainability at their heart. For example, avoiding the problems we are currently seeing with end-of-life wind turbines, which typically end up in landfills. To solve this issue, they use sustainable materials where possible, including upcycled metals. Furthermore, their turbines are produced locally by a variety of different UK-based manufacturers.  

Treeva is expanding, with five different Treeva Turbine models available (Mark I, II, III, IV, and V) and a growing number of turbines already in operation. They have 27 partners across the UK and Europe that want to deploy their turbines, and they prioritise fast deployments through their “Innovation Circle Early Access Program” (ICEAPro) to ensure they can reduce emissions and make a more sustainable impact. Away from the rail industry, they are also speaking with potential partners in Singapore, helping tackle the area’s energy challenges with innovation support.  

Treeva is ready to deploy with partners and is seeking new opportunities for widespread deployments for reliable power and to play a vital role in decarbonising the transport sector.  The company is mission-led and is determined to decarbonise the energy sector by bringing their turbines to a railway or road near you! If you are interested in speaking with Treeva, please reach out to Strategic Allies, and we will happily make an introduction. 

To celebrate the 200-year anniversary of the rail industry, Treeva is providing you with the opportunity to be involved by leaving your stamp (literally) on their Treeva Turbines and the future of clean energy. On the 27th of September, the first 200 people to reach out will have the chance to name their own Treeva Turbine! Please simply share your name ideas – whether that’s your own name, railway heritage, community, or a memento – and even better if you share the story or inspiration behind your choice.  

Every name will become part of Treeva’s growing network of reliable power, and the team will highlight some of the most inspiring stories. Leave your mark on the future – share your turbine name with the Treeva team via email, LinkedIn or Treeva’s website. 

Strategic Allies Ltd (SAL) is delighted to see the progress Treeva is making, with the company already generating revenue, and we are looking forward to seeing Treeva Turbines everywhere soon! It’s not just us who think Treeva is great: the company has also been nominated for the Earthshot Prize, supported by the International Renewable Energy Agency, and has won Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2024.