Indore railway station to get 260kw capacity solar plant

INDORE: The railways will now install a mega solar power plant at Indore railway station that would save Rs 7 lakh a year against electricity usage.

The station already has a 20kilowatt solar power plant, which helped the railways save five percent of the total electricity consumption at the station. Officials with Ratlam division of the Western Railway said that a mega solar system will be installed on the railway property to generate 260kilowatt electricity. “After Ujjan, Mhow and Ratlam, Indore will become fourth station under Ratlam division to have a mega solar power plant facility,” they said.

On an average, Indore railway station authorities have to pay Rs20 lakh per year. “With this new addition in our solar system, we would be able to save Rs7-8 lakh per year in electricity bills,” divisional railway manager RN Sunkar told TOI.

He said that this solar system would replace the daytime conventional energy usage of the station. They are being used as substitute for electricity usage for administrative work across the station especially during daytime. “We would be able to save at least 35% of electricity consumption a day through the panels,” he added.
Commenting on the need of replacing a part of energy usage through solar panels, officials said the use of solar energy is cost effective, clean, and renewable.

Ujjain, Ratlam and Mhow railway stations have solar power plants with 300KW, 752KW and 370KW capacity respectively. Chittaurgarh and some other small stations of Ratlam division also have solar plants with less capacity. The railways has been able to generate around 1.7megawatt per year and it aims to double this capacity by the end of this year.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes