Indian Railways Sets Up 1.7 MW Solar Power Plant In MP's Bina For Direct Electricity Supply To Overhead Rail Lines

In a boost to clean and green public transportation, Indian Railways has set up a solar energy plant in Madhya Pradesh's Bina to power its trains, reports Economic Times.

Built by the Indian Railways and state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) over 18 months, the first of its kind 1.7 MW power plant is now set for inauguration and will directly power the overhead lines in the Indian Railways' Bhopal Railway Division at 25 kilovolts (kV) AC.

Sharing details about the plant, DRM Bhopal Uday Borwanker said, "Once the plant is inaugurated at Bina in Bhopal Division, it will bring about a paradigm shift in the use of solar power in India. It will set the tone for use of solar energy for railway traction."

Borwanker also said that the plant would produce as much as 25 lakh energy units annually and save Rs 1.37 crore for the Indian Railways per year. He also added that the experiment of feeding overhead lines of Railways will accelerate Indian Railways Net Zero Carbon emission by 2030.

According to the report, many more such projects are under work which would help the Indian Railways in utilising its vacant land across India. The projects would also help address the issue of encroachments while minimising the maintenance costs through direct solar injections into the traction system.