Mumbai, Metro Rail News: Reliance Infrastructure promoted Mumbai Metro One has completed the installation and commissioning of 612 KWp capacity of roof-top solar photovoltaic panels at Metro Depot in DN Nagar. A total of 2,000 rooftop solar panels have been installed at Metro Depot along with associated supporting and cabling work.
Earlier MMOPL had installed and commissioned solar capacity of 2.30MWp at all 12 Metro stations commissioned in April 2017. Installation of the solar panels and associated works at Metro stations was a challenging task. In spite of hindrances like sloping roofs, the exceptional height of stations like Western Express Highway and work on a running Metro line, the Electrical and Mechanical team of Mumbai Metro One successfully executed the task without any inconvenience to commuters or affecting operations. Earlier, Mumbai Metro One had also initiated retrofit installation of LED lighting at Metro stations and depot to reduce energy consumption.
The new solar project at Metro Depot is set up on Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model wherein a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 25 years has been signed with the vendor setting up the plant. This agreement also includes the future expenses which will be incurred on operation and maintenance of the installed solar plants for the whole PPA
period.
These 612 KWp rooftop solar photovoltaic panels will fulfill 25% of the auxiliary energy of Mumbai Metro One’s Depot campus. Annual green and clean energy generation from the rooftop solar plants shall be around 0.9 million units. Use of clean solar energy will reduce carbon emission by around 900 tons per annum. Yearly savings on energy through these solar
plants will be around Rs. 50 lakh. The total installed capacity including stations and depot campus is now nearly 3 MWp. Electricity generated from solar panels will be
An MMOPL spokesperson said, “We are committed to our ‘Go Green, Go Clean Initiative’.After successful installation and commissioning of solar panels on 12 Metro stations, we are happy to install and commission a new solar project at our Metro Depot. In the long run, we wish to gradually increase our use of green energy.”
The carbon footprint savings due to modal shift to Metro as a means of public transport is around 98,000 tons annually. Since June 2014, commuters using private cars, buses, auto rickshaws,
due to solar power generation is around 17,000 tons and due to LED lights is around 1,000 tons annually. Thus, the total carbon footprint saving because of Mumbai Metro is around 1,16,000 tons annually.
