Over 25% trains of Indian Railways could run on solar energy

Over 25% of trains of the Indian Railways could be powered by solar power, according to climate trends and riding sunbeams report. Indian Railways is among the largest power consumers and third-largest diesel users of India. In 2018-19, it consumed 17,862 terawatt-hour (TWh) of power and 2,749 billion liters of diesel, accounting for 4% of the total greenhouse gas emissions of the country. In 2018, the government approved plans to electrify Indian railways 100% by 2023. About 71% of the country’s railways are electrified, as of March 2021. In 2020-21, over 6,000 kilometers of railway tracks were electrified. The complete electrification of Indian Railways could save Rs 130 billion in fuel bills yearly. The complete Indian rail network would be wholly electrified by 2023 and operate on renewable energy by 2030, said Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways. However, the researchers cautioned that obtaining total electrification by 2023 would initially raise carbon dioxide emissions by 32% because India relies on coal to generate power. In the first year, solar projects installed along electrified railway tracks could replace about 4 GW of coal-fired electricity and save 20% of Indian Railways’ annual power bills and 40% after that, according to the report. Apart from that, regulatory assistance for procurement by the open-access mechanism could also decrease power procurement prices and save about Rs 410 billion over the decade. Besides, by 2030, the Indian Railways has programs to introduce 20 GW of solar capacity for traction and non-traction loads to reach net-zero emissions. Solar energy of about 5.72 GW could be combined to Indian Railways flat profile and 3.33 GW for the commute profile. The solar capacity of 5.72 GW could produce 8.29 GWh of energy and meet about 28% power needs of the flat profile, as per the report. This would also support the Indian Railways to decrease 6.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions yearly. As per the report, Indian Railways will save Rs 170 billion in fuel prices and other savings by attaining net-zero emissions by 2030. Image Source Also read: Panchkula to be transformed into a solar powered city