NAGPUR (Metro Rail News): MahaMetro is installing panels atop its stations at a fast pace as it aims to meet 65 per cent of its energy requirement from solar. Its aim is to install a total 14 MW and so far 1 MW has been installed and the work is going on other 1.5 MW.
A Metro official told that solar energy was a win-win situation for the agency. “A private operator installs the panels by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a central govt undertaking. We don’t spend a penny on it. We just provide the space in our stations. The operator sells power to us when the panels are installed. We get electricity at less than half of MSEDCL’s power tariff,” he said.
“At present, we are meeting 85% of the electricity requirement of our stations by solar. Panels have been installed atop 6 stations and Metro Bhavan. The monthly average generation is more than 1 lakh units. Till date, we have exported over 2.5 lakh units of electricity to MSEDCL. More than 10.5 lakh units of solar energy has now been generated that saved more than Rs 82 lakh for Nagpur Metro Rail Project so far,” stated the spokesperson.
Further, he added that installation work at 2 depots and 5 Metro stations for 1.5 MW capacity was in progress. Maha-Metro is in the process of signing agreements for the construction of another 3 MW for upcoming ten stations and depots.
More than 5 MW would be installed by March 2021. Maha-Metro is one of the 1st Metro Rail agencies to go for solar energy right from inception. Various agencies began switching to solar when they were asked by the central govt and when their electricity bill ran in crores.
Going green helped Maha-Metro assured loans worth around Rs4,500 cr from German agency KfW and French agency Agence Francaise de Development. As per the foreign lending agencies prefer projects that are green spokesperson.
“We are using green energy wherever possible as it is our aim to reduce pollution in Nagpur. Our feeder vehicles would run on electricity or LPG. Our stations have bio-digesters to recycle water. Our stations have got Indian Green Building Council ratings,” he said.
