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Direct solar energy transfer to railways could save 7 mt of carbon
Indian Railways could save nearly 7 million tonnes of carbon a year through the direct supply of solar power to Indian Railway lines, without connecting the grid.
It can also operate one in four trains on the national network powered by solar power and save in fuel prices up to Rs 17,000 crore.
A new study by NGO Climate Trends and UK-based green-tech start-up Riding Sunbeams revealed this. As per the yearly report of Indian railways 2019-2020, there was passenger traffic of more than 8 billion that time, which implies that 2 billion passengers could be travelling on trains directly fed by solar energy.
The new analysis highlights that nearly a quarter of this new solar capacity, up to 5,272 MW, could be fueled directly into the railway’s overhead lines instead of being acquired over the electricity networks, decreasing energy losses and saving money for the rail operator.
The researchers found that replacing energy provided from the coal-dominated grid for private-wire supply from solar could also swiftly lower emissions by as much as 6.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, just over the entire yearly emissions of Kanpur.
Report co-author and founder of Riding Sunbeams, Leo Murray, stating that India is leading on rail electrification and solar energy deployment, told the media, their study reveals that combining these two keystone low-carbon technologies together in Indian Railways can stimulate both the country’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and its efforts to transition off fossil fuels to manage the climate crisis.
Director of Climate Trends and co-author Aarti Khosla, highlighting that the government pumps large amounts of money to recover the railways, told the media that there has been a study that turning all diesel locomotives to electric would indeed enhance the emissions in the short term. However, this report displays the enormous opportunity of doing it right the first time by forming a direct connection of the locomotive system to solar PV installations, satisfying over a quarter of the total demand.
The researchers also warned, however, that fulfilling the aim of complete electrification of all routes by 2023 could be followed by a surge in carbon emissions in the short term due to India’s current dependence on coal to produce electricity.
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