With a host of robust initiatives on the green energy front, Southern Railway is focusing on attaining energy efficiency with focus on reduction in carbon footprint.
More details:
- The zone’s effort in harnessing renewable sources of energy is gaining momentum with Solar power plants being progressively proliferated across its network of Railway stations & Office buildings.
- Further, substantial energy savings has been made possible through erection of wind mills also.
Harnessing Solar power:
- The zone had installed 192 kWp solar power plants during the year 2021-22. The total installed capacity of Solar Plants in Southern Railway is 5.06 MWp which generated 5.473 Million Units of energy in 2021-22 resulting in Rs. 2.386 crores of annual savings.
- Since installation of Solar Plant in 2017-18 the cumulative solar energy generated is 16.309million units (Kwh) upto June ’22 and the cumulative savings is to the tune of Rs. 6.455 crores. Southern Railway is presently recording an average annual power savings of Rs. 2 Crores as a result of tapping solar energy resources.
- Solar power panels have been installed at various locations/railway stations such as Dr. MGR Chennai Central, MMC complex, Katpadi, Tambaram, Mambalam, Guindy and Chengalpattu suburban stations, Divisional Railway Managers’ Offices at Tiruchchirappalli and Madurai, Chief Workshop Manager’s Office at Trichy Golden Rock Workshop, at Level Crossing Gates in Nagercoil-Thiruvananthapuram section, Signal & Telecom Workshop at Podanur, Salem Jn, Namakkal, Tiruppur, Parli, Lakkiti, to mention a few.
- Dr MGR Chennai Central has become the first railway station in Southern Railway to take care of 100% of its day time energy requirements through solar.
- Southern Railway is working towards increasing the capacity of solar plants and has planned for installation of solar plants in its vacant land as well as in private land adjacent to Traction Substations of Southern Railway. The energy generated will feed to traction loads which will further result in huge savings in traction energy bills and savings to Railway.
Wind Mills:
- Windmill Plants have been erected at Kayathar (near Gangai Kondan / Kadambur Railway stations) in Tuticorin district under Madurai division of Southern Railway. Five numbers of Windmill plants of 2.1 MW capacity each, totaling 10.5 MW, was commissioned in Southern Railway on 8th Jan, 2019 at a cost of Rs. 74 crores.
- In 2021-22, the energy harnessed from wind mills is around 25.686 million units resulting in savings of around Rs. 14.54 crores. The cumulative energy harnessed by wind mills in Southern Railway is 91.564 million units, since installation till July ’22, and this yielded savings in traction energy bills to the tune of Rs. 48.54 Crores.
- It is noteworthy that 2,61,412 Kwh units of electrical energy generated by these windmills on 13th July 2022 is the highest generation in a day so far.1.86% of traction energy requirement for electric trains running in Southern railway during 2021-22 was met by green energy from its wind mills. 2.12% of total electrical energy requirement of SR for traction and non-traction purpose is met from green energy generated by solar and wind plants.
Source: Southern Railway -Press Release | Image Credit (representational): MoR
