Indian Railways to Secure Around 1,000 MW Solar Power by 2021-22

According to an official statement released by the Ministry of Railways, Indian Railways plans to procure 1,000 MW of solar power by 2021-22.

To meet this solar power generation goal, 500 MW solar plants will be installed on the rooftop of Railway buildings to meet non-traction loads at Railway Stations, and remaining 500 MW land based solar plants will be used to meet both traction and non-traction requirements.

Several measures aimed at energy conservation by harnessing renewable energy are implemented at South Central Railway zone, which includes installation of solar panels at stations and service buildings across the zone. Tapping into the natural energy sources, for the very first time all the stations in a particular section of the South Central Railway have been provided with solar panels at one stretch. 

Nandyal–Yerraguntla section in Guntakal Division has been declared as the first solar section in South Central Railway, with a new railway line being laid by Indian Railways. It was opened for passenger traffic in 2016 to bring the hinterland areas on the rail map by providing rail connectivity.

16 stations on the Indian Railway network have been declared green to meet energy needs completely either through solar or wind power. These include Roha, Pen, Apta in Central Railway; Niamatpur halt, Kanhaipur halt, Teka Bigha halt, Mai halt, Garsanda halt, Niyazipur halt, Dhamara Ghat in East Central Railway; Shri Mata Vaisno Devi, Shimla in Northern Railway; and Unhel, Khanderi, Bajud, Ambli Road, Sadanapura and Sachin in Western Railway, according to a news media report.