Central Railway Adds 4 More Locations Generating Solar Power in Maharashtra

Rooftop solar installations in four more railway properties have begun to produce solar power in the Central Railway zone. The four newly added locations are Igatpuri railway hospital, Igatpuri railway station, Kasara railway station and Titwala cabin.

The Central Railway says that that with the addition of the four new locations in the network, the Central Railway now have a total of 48 sites that are generating solar power. All the 48 sites will now produce 2.5 million units of green energy that will help the railways to save Rs 1.9 crore that would otherwise be spent on fuel each year.

Central Railway CPRO, Shivaji Sutar says, “The Central Railways’ transition to clean energy would not only cut down on annual carbon emissions of 412 tonnes but also help the national transporter save Rs 1.9 crore in fuel costs every year.” Just as the solar panels on the four locations went live, General Manager of Central Railway, Anil Kumar Lahoti conducted the annual inspection on the Igatpuri – Kalyan section of Mumbai Division.

Lahoti visited the new solar power installations and also inspected reservation counters, crew lobby, running room and the training coach made from a discarded coach. The Central Railway General Manager also inspected the Bio-Toilet evolution model that has made railway tracks and railway stations cleaner. A herbal garden and solar powered rolling in and rolling out hut was also inaugurated by him.

More than a thousand railway stations in India have been installed by rooftop solar. This includes some of the major installations like Varanasi, New Delhi, Old Delhi, Howrah, Agra, Kolkata, Jaipur, Secunderabad, Guwahati and Katra.

As per the government sources, the railways has planned to install rooftop solar on as many as 7000 railway stations across India.

In Rae Bareli, a 3MW solar power plant has been created. Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL) will establish two projects of 1.7 MW and 2 MW at Bina in Madhya Pradesh and Diwana in Haryana.

To give a push to renewables and clean energy, the NITI Ayog recently had asked the Railways also to designate at least 20% of the parking capacity at railway stations or office complex for setting up electric vehicle charging bays or battery charging and swapping stations, and also install at least one EV charging point at each targeted manned level crossing and railway colony