The Dhanbad Railway Division is preparing to be the country’s first to run trains on solar power. According to railway officials, they have devised a strategy in which solar energy will share a fraction of the entire power load, lowering the total operating cost of the trains. The program will be implemented in the Dhanbad division’s 200-kilometer stretch of the Grand Chord line between Pradhan Khunta and Bandhua stations.
Power plants will be erected at 17 various locations between the two stations to harvest solar energy, and land has already been found for the project. Railway Energy Management Company Limited has been tasked with the installation of solar power plants (REMCL).
Senior railway authorities believe that if an extra source of energy is available, the conventional power required to run trains can be cut significantly. “Trains at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour must be run between Howrah and New Delhi,” said Dhanbad divisional railway manager Ashish Bansal. “Efforts are being made to run all of them on solar power in the area between Bandhua and Pradhan Khunta in Dhanbad division.”
In order to harness energy in this approximately 200-kilometer span, solar power plants will be installed in 17 spots, he noted. However, according to the DRM, there are some legal concerns with land leasing that need to be resolved, and as a result, the project is being delayed.
According to railway officials, 100% reliance on solar power is not practicable because sunlight is not available all of the time, so a mechanism is being designed to distribute power between solar and conventional energy.
“Solar power will be employed as a support system,” said senior divisional commercial manager Akhilesh Pandey. “A portion of the entire load would be shared by solar power, resulting in a reduction in power cost.” He said that this is a novel technology and that it may be the country’s first project of its kind.
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Resource: The New Indian Express
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