Indian Style Innovation? Generate electricity using bulls

Economic Times has an interesting story featuring Patanjali’s Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna now want to generate electricity using bulls

Baba Ramdev and his associate Acharya Balkrishna of consumer goods company Patanjali are working on a unique form of renewable energy: Bull power.

Research of over one and a half years on the idea to generate electricity with the aid of a bull’s pulling power has yielded initial success. The aim is to ensure that the animals don’t get sent to slaughter.

The experiment is the brainchild of Balkrishna, managing director and primary stakeholder of Patanjali, and involves a leading Indian multinational automobile manufacturer and a Turkish partner. A prototype has been designed and is being tweaked to generate more electricity.

So far the design, involving a turbine, has managed to yield nearly 2.5 kilowatts of power, said those aware of the research project.

“At a time when more and more male bovines are being slaughtered, we want to change the perception that they (bulls) are not very valuable,” Balkrishna told ET, confirming that Patanjali is conducting research on this at its sprawling Haridwar headquarters “While in the morning they can be used in the farms, in the evening they can be utilised for generation of electricity.”

• Ramdev’s Patanjali plans to produce electricity using bulls – Business Today
• Ramdev’s Patanjali bets on bulls to create electricity for farmers. Project’s aim is to provide a power source to farmers who cannot otherwise afford electricity – Business Standard
• Bull Power: Patanjali working on project to generate electricity using bulls – Homegrown fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) giant Patanjali has been working on a project to generate electricity using bulls. – moneycontrol.com
• Patanjali to generate power using bulls – Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali working on power generation using bulls. After FMCG, Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved is reportedly eyeing to enter the power generation sector.
• Baba Ramdev wants to save bulls from slaughter by turning them into power generators, but will it work? The celebrated Indian ingenuity is one thing, and Baba Ramdev’s idea of saving bulls from the abattoirs by making them valuable components of power generation—by turning a turbine—is quite another. – Financial Express
• Baba Ramdev is bringing Brazilian bull power to Indian cows – Months after announcing Rs 500 crore investment to improve the productivity of Indian cows, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has planned to go for artificial insemination with the aim of producing 92 per cent female offspring in India. Artificial insemination programme will be run with semen from Brazilian bulls and technical support from US and Dutch experts.