Indian Railways & Renewable Energy

Indian Railways & Renewable Energy

Part of: GS-III- Environment (PT-MAINS-PERSONALITY TEST)

The Indian Railways has decided to be self-reliant for its energy needs by utilizing its vacant lands for Renewable Energy (RE) projects. It will utilize solar energy for meeting its traction (action of drawing or pulling something over a surface) power requirements.

ImpPoints

• In January 2020, it was announced that the entire network of the Indian Railways will run on electricity by 2024 and become a net-zero emission network by 2030.
• Indian Railways is adopting an innovative concept of installation of solar projects along operational railway lines. This will help in:
  Preventing encroachment.

Enhancing the speed and safety of trains.

Reduction of infrastructure costs due to direct injection of solar power into the traction network.

• Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL) is working continuously to further proliferate the use of solar energy on mega-scale.
• With these mega initiatives, Indian Railways is leading India’s fight against climate challenge and is taking significant steps towards meeting its ambitious goal of being a net-zero carbon emissions organisation and meeting India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) targets.
• This would also help in making Indian Railways a complete ‘Green mode’ of transportation and ‘Atmanirbhar (energy self-sufficient transport organisation)’.

Achievements:

• Energy procurement from various solar projects like 3 MWp solar plant set up at Modern Coach Factory (MCF) Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh).
• About 100 MWp rooftop solar systems on various stations and buildings of Railways.
• A project of 1.7 MWp near Bina Traction Sub Station, Bina (Madhya Pradesh) connected directly to Overhead Traction System (OTS) will be commissioned shortly.
  This is the first of its kind project in the world authorised by Indian Railways in collaboration with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). BHEL is one of the seven Maharatna companies. The project was undertaken by BHEL under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme.
• It involves the adoption of innovative technology for converting Direct Current (DC) to single-phase Alternating Current (AC) for feeding directly to Railway’s overhead traction system.
• It can produce approximately 25 lakh units of energy annually and will save around Rs. 1.37 crore for Railways every year.
• Overhead Traction System

• Traction system causes the propulsion of a vehicle in which tractive or driving force is obtained from various devices such as diesel engine drives, steam engine drives, electric motors, etc.
• When this power supply is drawn from an overhead line system, it is called an Overhead Traction System.

Railway Energy Management Company Limited

• It was incorporated on 16^th August 2013 under the Companies Act 1956 as a joint venture company of Ministry of Railways.
• Objective: To tap the business potential in the energy sector including green energy, power trading etc. by setting up renewable energy wind power projects, etc.