Delhi Metro goes green with solar power

New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) Delhi Metro is turning more
eco-friendly with installation of solar panels for electricity
at its headquarters which will prevent 2.35 tonnes of
greenhouse gas emissions per year.

The 64 panel five kilowatt (KW) solar power plant
installed at the Metro Headquarters in Connaught Place can
generate 15 Kilowatt hour (KWh) electricity per day, Delhi
Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.

This will result in preventing 2.35 tonnes of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per year by the Delhi Metro,
recently registered by the United Nations as the first Railway
project in the world to earn carbon credits.

The solar power plant presently caters to the need of
lighting electrical equipments including the terrace lightings
at the Metro Bhawan from dusk to dawn.

Installed at a cost of around Rs 20 lakh on an
experimental basis, the five KWp Solar Photovoltaic (PV) power
plant includes the crystalline silicon solar PV modules (5
Kilowatt), a maintenance-free Battery Bank of 1000 Ah
capacity, Charge Controller and an Inverter.

The Delhi Metro also plans to use solar energy for IT
Park and LED street lightings along Patel Chowk and Chandni
Chowk Metro stations, the official said.

The system has been designed for providing
uninterrupted operation of the specified loads for a period of
three consecutive sunless days.

The Solar PV Modules charge the battery bank during
the sunshine hours. This "stored" electricity is utilised
during the nights to operate on the desired loads.

DMRC has been certified to have prevented over 90,000
tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the
atmosphere by reducing its power requirement, thus
contributing to the fight against global warming.

DMRC had initiated the urban deployment of Solar PV
systems, which were so far considered suitable for remote
areas only, with parking area lighting of Patel-Chowk and
Tagore Garden stations of Delhi Metro that has resulted in
saving of 7,446 KWh of energy per annum.

Elaborating on the advantages of Photovoltaic (PV)
system, the official said that bulky mechanical generator
systems become unnecessary as the conversion from sunlight to
electricity is direct.

The environmental impact is minimal, requiring no
water for system cooling and generating no by-products, the
official said. PTI SJY
RAI