South Western Railway installs solar panels in 19 buildings

Bengaluru: Including the railway stations, workshops and offices, with a total capacity of 3,605-kilowatt peak(kWp), the South Western Railway has installed solar panels in 19 buildings. kWp is the power that solar panels generate under standard conditions.

With the most solar power capacity, the SWR Hubballi workshop has 1,045kWp. The Mysuru workshop has 500 kWp and the DRM office Hubballi has 320 kWp. Among the railway stations, the Bengaluru City railway station has the maximum capacity of 290 kWp. This station needs 3.13 million units annually and 13.9% of it is now being met by the solar panels

Rail Soudha Hubballi(250 kWp), Krishnarajapuram Diesel Shed(240), Hubballi station(220), Mysuru DRM office(110), Mysuru station(100), Railway Hospital Bengaluru(100), Central Railway Hospital Hubballi(100), Hosapete station(100), Bengaluru DRM office(80), Yeshwantpur station(80), Chikjajur (20), Chikmagalur station(20), Birur(10), MEMU shed Banaswadi(10) and Chitradurga station(10) are some of the other major structures.

“Energy generated by these plants ranges between two and four units per day per kWp, depending on the climatic conditions. SWR hopes to meet the full energy requirement of Hubballi and Mysuru workshops with solar energy, making them carbon neutral,” said E Vijaya, SWR chief PRO.

The SWR has identified 60 more stations where solar panels will be installed during 2019-20, in additional to the 12 railway station with the panels. The annual energy requirement of SWR is about 47 million units, including the 17 million units for Bengaluru division.

Germany has offered to provide $1 million technical help for the electric bus project. “An MoU will be signed soon in consultation with the transport minister. Existing diesel buses would be phased down slowly. This will go a long way in reducing air pollution in Bengaluru and other cities,” said Deputy CM Parameshwara.