Directly Supplying Solar Energy To Indian Railways Will Save Seven Million Tonnes Of Carbon Annually: Study

One of the studies conducted by the NGO Climate Trends and Riding Sunbeams, a UK-based green tech startup, has revealed that the direct supply of solar energy to the Indian Railways will enable two billion passengers to travel on solar powered trains.

It will also result in saving about seven million tonnes of carbon annually.

The research even disclosed that directly supplying solar energy to the Indian Railway lines without connecting the same through grid will end up powering at least one out of four trains on the national network.

“According to the Indian Railways 2019-20 annual report, there was passenger traffic of over eight billion during that period, which would mean that two billion passengers could be travelling on trains directly powered by solar energy,” the study revealed, as reported by the Economic Times.

The study explained that replacing energy delivered from solar-dominated grids with private-wire supply from solar can reduce emissions by about 6.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

It asserted that a combination of energy efficiency, electrification and a shift to renewable energy will be required to achieve the net-zero carbon emitter target set by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi by 2030.

The South Central Railway, Northern Railway, Central Railway, Western Railway, West Central Railway are found to be the top five zones with the greatest solar-to-rail potential as per this research.