The recent installation of turbines at the exits of selected stations of Paris Metro has once again proved that a minute attention on the process or operation can lead to a significantly sustainable innovation. In any metro station, at times people’s exit rate is too high, they have utilised that dynamic energy to generate power.
What has been done is – they have put small turbines at the exits of some busy metro stations. The turbines are aesthetically designed glass structures to harness power from the rotation of the axles during movement of the lever-wheels fixed at the passenger-exit-gates.
So, the innovation is serving two purposes. Firstly, it is securing safety and comfort of the passengers, and secondly it is helping sustainable energy generation. Although it may appear too small, we should not forget that sum of the miniscule sustainable power generation is equal to a big achievement. Exactly that has been planned there.
The electricity generated in those small turbines can combinedly power many functions in the station premises, also it may be sent to the city’s power grid. Deviating from the traditional way of thinking, I think there is nothing wrong if I say – it is one of the best examples of deriving energy from the waste (dynamic energy).
In our country, metro rails are operating in all major cities, and more metro projects are being planned. It’s a fact that in India the passenger rush is much more than that in France. Can we look forward to implement such a system in our metros too, which will not only reduce the load on our power grids – but also save cost of operations lowering the carbon footprint of metro rail installations?
Publisher & Editor-In-Chief
