CHENNAI, MAY 18
Southern Railway’s green energy push has made it a forerunner in harnessing renewable energy. It has been taking multifarious efforts aimed at reduction of carbon footprint, says Chief Public Relations Officer B Guganesan.
The zone is giving a renewed impetus to Solar power projects and is progressively proliferating solar power plants on the rooftop of railway station & Office buildings. Further, substantial power savings has been generated through installation of wind mill projects.
Tapping Solar power
Southern Railway has installed 192 kWp solar power plants during the year 2021-22 which generated 5.473 Million Units of energy resulting in Rs.2.386 crores of annual savings. The total installed capacity of Solar Plants in Southern Railway is 5.01 MWp across the six divisions. The cumulative solar energy generated is 14.805 million units that yielded savings to the tune of Rs 6.455 crores.
- 192 kWp solar power plants during the year 2021-22
- Cumulative solar energy generated by Southern Railway is 14.805 million units yielding Rs.6.455 crores power savings
- 10.5 MW Wind mills erected generating 25.686 million units of wind energy resulting in savings of Rs.15.412 crores
- Dr MGR Central has become the first station in the zone to fulfill 100% of the daytime energy requirements through harnessing of Solar power.
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.
Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M.G.Ramachandran Central (Chennai Central) is the prominent terminal station serving Southern Railway. This GreenCo certified station has become a jewel in the crown of Southern Railway by adopting best environment friendly practices. Dr MGR Central has become the first station in the zone to fulfill 100% of the daytime energy requirements through harnessing of Solar power.
A noteworthy innovation on the Solar front, Golden Rock Workshop has designed and installed a Solar Parabolic Concentrator System to generate 5000 LPD (Litres per day) hot water using solar energy. The hot water so generated is being used to clean Diesel Loco components.
Southern Railway is working towards increasing capacity of solar plants and has planned for installation of 109 MWp solar plants in its vacant land of about 288 acres and the energy generated will feed to traction loads which will further result in huge saving in traction energy and saving to Railway. Of this 288 acres of land, tenders have been floated by REMCL for 119 acres of land area. Tender for 169 acres of land along track is being processed by REMCL (Railway Energy Management Company Ltd). At present, 2.1% of the Southern Railway’s total energy requirements, both traction and non-traction, are met through renewable energy source.
Harnessing Wind energy
Windmill Plants have been erected at Kayathar (near Gangai Kondan / Kadambur Railway stations) in Tuticorin district under Madurai division of Southern Railway. The total capacity of Wind Mill plants in Southern Railway is 10.5 MW erected at a cost of Rs 72 crores. In 2021-22, the energy harnessed from wind mills is 25.686 million units resulting in savings of Rs 15.412 crores. The cumulative energy harnessed by wind mills in Southern Railway is 80.095 million units that yielded savings to the tune of Rs 48.057 crores.
