Eastern Railways Sets Ambitious Solar Energy Generation Target for 2020

The Eastern Railways has informed that the organisation has set an ambitious plan to generate nearly 300 million watts of solar energy by 2020.

In an effort to minimise carbon footprint and contribute towards a reduction in global warming, the Eastern Railways (ER) has informed that the organisation has set an ambitious plan to generate nearly 300 million watts of solar energy by 2020.

Aiming at the maximum possible use of clean and renewable energy within the zone, the Eastern Railway has set a rapid growth path for utilising solar energy from 30 million watts in 2018 to 300 million watts in 2020, ER spokesperson Nikhil Chakraborty said.

“At present, rooftop solar plants, commissioned by the Eastern Railway, generate 55 million watts and the process is on to increase the capacity by another 245 million watts by 2020 to achieve the target for ‘Mission 300 million watts solar plants’ by 2020,” he said. Chakraborty said that achievement of the goal of generating 300 million units (30 Megawatts) will accrue a saving of Rs 12 crore in revenue expenses per year at the present rate of tariff.

The Eastern Railway has commissioned a 2,965 kW power grid-connected rooftop solar project at its busiest station Howrah, which “is the largest solar capacity commissioned over a single station in Indian Railways“, Chakraborty said.

In August, we reported that the Eastern Railways had trialled a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) train with solar panels on its roof between Sahibgunj and Jamalpur in its Malda division from August 10, 2019. The six-coach DEMU was the first to be run in the eastern sector through a prototype that was launched by the erstwhile railway minister, Suresh Prabhu, at the Safdarjung station in 2017.

More recently, the Railway Energy Management Company (REMCL), on behalf of the Indian Railways, had issued a Request for Selection (RfS), inviting bids from eligible parties to procure power from wind and solar hybrid projects. The scope of work for the selected bidders includes the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the wind-solar hybrid projects anywhere in India on a Build Own Operate (BOO) basis.