Indian Railways Launches First Train With Solar Power-Backed Coaches
The coaches will also have a battery bank which will optimise solar energy to full load.
The railway ministry on Friday launched the country’s first diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU) broad gauge train with coaches powered by solar energy. BloombergQuint had reported about the launch on Wednesday.
The coaches are equipped with a battery bank which will optimise solar energy to full load and provide power at night.
Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the train which will travel from Sarai Rohilla in Delhi to Farrukhnagar, in Gurgaon district of Haryana.
We plan to save Rs 41,000 crore on electricity expenses by using solar energy in the next 10 years. We will generate 1,000 MW of solar power and 100 MW wind power. We will also do auditing for diesel trains to save power...We are planning to install solar panels in more trains in the future.Suresh Prabhu, Railway Minister
The train has solar panels on the roof, solar power for lights and fans. “We expect to save around 20,000 litres of diesel oil by using these solar panels in a year. Cost savings will be Rs 12 lakh per year which will give us a return of 20 percent,” Ravindra Gupta, member (rolling stock), Ministry of Railways, told BloombergQuint.
The Indian Railways Organisation for Alternative Fuels has set up the solar power panels inside the train and planning to have more such trains in future. “We have floated a tender for 250 solar powered coaches already,” said Ravinder Gupta, its chief administrative officer.
