DALLAS — When planes take off, exhaust comes out and wind whips around the tarmac.
At most airports, that's the end of the story. But not at Dallas Love Field.
"I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be cool if we could capture some of this wind, exhaust, and make electricity out of it?" Dr. T. O. Souryal told WFAA.
Souryal said he got the idea as a passenger on a plane years ago to start a company called "Jetwind," which produces turbines that turn plane exhaust into clean energy.
"I don’t know why nobody’s done it!" he said. "It’s too simple."
Souryal is testing his prototype at Love Field right now.
When a plane pulls off, his turbines spin like crazy, produce electricity and charge batteries.
Those batteries then charge electric vehicles owned by the air traffic controllers.
"We’re always looking at our energy management, looking to reduce our carbon footprint," Isaac Ellison, Love Field's interim environmental manager, told WFAA.
"We’re surrounded by communities all around the airport we just want to make sure we’re doing our part," he added.
If Jetwind's pod stands the test of time and holds up through 12 months of Texas heat and hail, the plan is to install more -- and not just at Love Field.
"Assuming we get through this stage where it does hold up in the elements for a year, then I see this being placed in every airport on the planet," Souryal said.
Before they get that far, the next step is to soon install phone-charging kiosks in the terminal that passengers can use as they wait to board, powered by the exhaust that the aircraft produces.