In 2022 energy crisis was an unmissable media topic. Iberdrola, a renewable energy provider committed to make renewable local energy accessible had a role to play.

We reinvented the turnstiles 4.5 million commuters are crossing every day, creating first underground wind turbines. Transforming a crowd every Parisian hates into something they need: renewable energy. Spreading a message of hope: we can find green energy locally and reach energetic independence.

+30 000 people interacted with the prototypes. 130M people were organically reached. A Senator encouraged the initiative. NBC's Today presenter Al Roker asked publicly NYC subway to implement the Turnstile Turbines.

Iberdrola was launched in France in 2019, it’s a Spanish company and European leader of wind energy. As a newcomer they were facing a very low level of awareness. Our mission was to make people know the brand but more importantly know what the brand is here for: provide a 100% renewable energy made with wind energy.

At a time when energy independence is one of the most needed things in France we wanted to show that green and local energy can be found everywhere, and non-renewable energy (providing by competitors) has now a smart challenger.

Iberdrola also wanted to highlight that they are not only an energy provider but also an energy producer, at the edge of wind energy tech.

Since last year in France, the main media topic and concern was the energy crisis with government asking people to make efforts to avoid power cuts and the bills raising for everyone.

It generated a national debate around the energy independence: how to create a local and independent energy production. In this debate actors like Iberdrola must defend the solution they are providing, and wind energy deserved to be presented as a prior option.

In France, we have a saying: we don't have gas, but we have idea. Turnstile Turbines showed people that with a bit an ingenuity and creativity we can produce our own green energy (even in the middle of Paris).

Europe is going through an unprecedented energy crisis with governments asking people to make efforts to avoid power cuts. Crisis are always opportunities to rethink existing things. Iberdrola, the European leading wind energy had a role to play, by reminding people and stakeholders the importance of green and local solutions.

We turned an effort people are already doing into a new source of energy: reinventing the turnstile 4.5 million commuters are crossing every day, by the world first underground wind turbines: the Turnstile Turbines. 14 engineer students built a functional prototype able to generate energy hand in hand with Iberdrola engineers.

The mechanism is directly inspired by real wind turbines system and automatic watch. The design was thought to remind people of wind turbines, to make them understand the new purpose of the object. Prototypes were installed in the subway station Miromesnil, in the heart of Paris.

From the very beginning, the project was highly earned oriented as it brought an accessible and simple solution to the most important media topic in France: the energy crisis.

Installed in the Paris subway, Turnstile Turbines were a useful innovation engaging commuters to produce green energy.

This unexpected object looking half like a wind turbine half like a turnstile delivered a powerful PR claim : the first underground wind turbines in the world.

It delivered a direct message: with creativity and ingenuity we can create energy everywhere. Thanks to renewable energy provider like Iberdrola, we can free ourselves from energetic dependance.

Press, influencers, politicians discovered the Turnstile Turbines in the Paris subway with a direct access to the engineers’ students and Iberdrola experts. It resulted to a massive coverage reaching organically more than 130M people.

During 4 months, we followed all the production with engineer students creating a range of content / teasing for social media.

The day of the launch we invited press, influencers, politicians to meet the student and to discover the prototypes live in the subway station Miromesnil.

We organized a press conference in an innovation lab in front of the station with engineers speakers form the school and from the brand. A senator strongly engaged for renewable energy agreed to make a talk during the conference.

We shot the installation of the Turnstile Turbines; interviewed commuters discovering the object and created a range of content shared on social media.

Working with students allowed the project to also reach all the PR ecosystem of younger people, catching the attention of trendy social media channels and student life.

- 6 prototypes built by 14 engineers’ students.

- 2 other engineering schools are working to upgrade the prototypes.

- Madrid is the next subway to install the Turnstile Turbines.

- 73% of commuters wanted to switch for renewable energy after seeing the campaign. Source Monkey survey.

- A French senator came on the operation and gave interviews about the project.

- More than 30 000 people interacted with the prototypes.

- 130 million organic impressions – With article in the most read French newspaper (ouest France)

- It crossed the Atlantic with american presenter Al Rocker (NBC's Today) celebrating the project and challenging the New York subway to implement it.

- The initiative was shared and praised by the World Economic Forum.