Anand Mahindra shares 'ingenious' idea of generating electricity from traffic; Watch

Mahindra group chairman Anand Mahindra, an avid social media user, whose posts range from inspirational to comical, recently shared an innovative idea of generating electricity from traffic in India. 

The billionaire tweeted a clip that showed how small turbines fixed in the middle of a road can be a source of energy production. By using the wind generated by the moving vehicles to turn the turbines, electricity can be generated.

The technology was developed and is being tested at Turkey's Istanbul Technical University. The portable turbines, named Enlil, were also found capable of measuring the CO2 levels in the air and generating 1 KW power per hour. Also, Enlil has an integrated SMART system that enables the addition of modules such as tools to measure CO2 levels, data collection through its IoT platform, traffic management systems, earthquake detection, connectivity for autonomous vehicles, and a built-in Wi-Fi station.

'Ingenious', says Anand Mahindra

Posting the video, showing an ingenious method of generating electricity that appears to be both environmentally friendly and cost-efficient, Mahindra wrote on Twitter, "Developed by Istanbul Technical University. Ingenious. Uses the wind generated by passing traffic. Given India’s traffic, we could become a global force in wind energy! Can we explore using them on our highways, @nitin_gadkari Ji?". 

Since being shared, the tweet generated massive responses from netizens. While one exclaimed, "Amazing," another netizen wrote,  "It would be very effective on all the Expressways. Power generated by this source can be used for highways lamps, toll plazas, warning boardings, etc...It also has a solar panel on it which is Very much suited for Indian climate".

A third user took to the comments section to write, "Brilliant way of generating the energy. We should focus on utilizing this kind of resources for energy (sic)".

(Image: PTI/@anandmahindra/Twitter)