Indian Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched the state-owned railway company’s first set of solar plants with a total capacity of 5 megawatt peak (MWp), a project aimed at reducing the national transporter’s carbon footprint. The project is part of the government’s National Solar Mission in which the Indian Railways plans to commission 1,000 MWp solar plants across its network.
“We are working in a time-bound manner to skillfully and effectively transform the Indian Railways into a world class transporter. We shall be able to accomplish 100 percent electrification at lower prices with an incentive-&-penalty scheme,” Piyush Goyal said.
The project was awarded in December 2016. The cost of the project is Rs. 374.5 million (EUR 4.9 million) and has been bought in by the developer under the PPP model. The developer will also maintain it for 25 years and the Indian Railways will only pay energy consumed at Rs 4.14 (EUR 0.05) per unit.
The plants on the roof tops of Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Anand Vihar and Delhi railway stations will generate 7.65 million units of solar power cumulatively per year, and shall meet about 30 percent of the energy requirement of these stations. Through the project, the railways will save Rs 42.14 million (EUR 558,740) annually and will reduce 6,082 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
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