Chennai Central Station now fully powered by solar energy; PM Modi lauds
Chennai Central met 100% day energy requirement target by solar panels installed on platform shelters
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Chennai, September 25: Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central / Chennai Central railway station, (under the South Central Railway (SCR), has met the 100% day energy requirement target by solar panels installed on the platform shelters.
Union railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, tweeted saying, “100% Day energy requirement of Chennai Central Station is met by #SolarPower.” The station has installed solar power capacity of 1.5MW; all electricity needs of this station during the day are met by solely solar power.
PM Modi has expressed happiness over this station for being Fully Powered by Solar Energy. In a reply to this tweet by Vaishnaw, the PM said, "Happy to see the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station show the way when it comes to solar energy."
SCR is the first on Indian Railways to introduce the concept of ‘Energy Neutral’ railway stations, having the capability to meet 100% energy requirements. It uses natural solar power through Solar Photo Voltaic / SPV panels built on around 13 station buildings.
Solar power panels have been installed at several locations and railway stations such as Chennai Central, MMC complex, Katpadi, Tambaram, Mambalam, Guindy and Chengalpattu suburban stations and other railway offices.
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Focussing on harnessing renewable energy through windmills, Windmill Plants have been erected at Kayathar (near Gangai Kondan / Kadambur Railway stations) in Tuticorin district under Madurai division of Southern Railway, a Southern Railway release said. The total capacity of Wind Mill plants in Southern Railway is 10.5 MW, it added.
Southern Railway has achieved savings of Rs. 16.64 crores from renewable energy sources during the year 2019-20. The release said that the railway is committed to fast tracking its renewable energy projects having a vision to cut down power costs, support the Nation’s cause for ‘Atma-Nirbhar’.
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Indian Railways plans to be Net Zero Carbon Emitter by year 2030. It had said that for meeting its traction power requirement, it plans to set up solar plants on unused vacant railway land.