Daijiworld Media Network

Bhubaneswar, May 23: If you thought the scrapped Rs 500 note had become useless post-demonetisation, here's something that would make you think again. A teenager from Nuapada district in Odisha has come up with an ingenious way to generate electricity from these notes.

Meet Lachman Dundi, a science student of Khariar College, who has succeeded in doing the unthinkable. A farmer's son, Dundi earns a living by making and selling bulbs.

How did he do it? "I used the silicon coating on the note to create energy I tore up the note so that the coating is visible, which I exposed to direct sunlight. The silicon plate has to be connected to a transformer with an electric wire. This can help generate electricity," he told the Times of India (TOI).

"I have created a transformer that can store the charge from the silicon plate," he said.

As per the report published in the TOI, his innovation has already been noticed by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), which has directed the state science and technology department to submit a report regarding the project.

The Odisha state government received a letter from the PMO last month to verify the youngster's claim. Last week, the state government in turn asked the department concerned to study Dundi's project and its scope.

Dundi said it would be a proud moment for him if the PMO appreciates his innovation.

After demonetisation, Dundi embarked on a mission to somehow find a use for the scrapped notes. "I tore up a note and found the silicon plate. From there, I started my research and succeeded in producing electricity," he said.

Once he came up with the idea, it took him just 15 days to sort out the dynamics of the project.

However, in his college where he demonstrated his innovation, scarcely anyone took notice, he said. But determined to take the idea forward, he wrote to the PMO and the chief minister, who responded positively.