Chennai: The Southern Railway said it saved Rs 54.99 crore by tapping into alternative sources of energy like solar and wind power. The move is part of the efforts to reduce carbon footprint.
A statement from the department said substantial energy savings have been made possible through the erection of windmills. Solar panels have been installed at various locations in the region and it is working towards increasing capacity. Dr MGR Chennai Central Railway Station has become the first station in the region to take care of 100% of its daytime energy requirements by using solar power.
It managed to save Rs 6.45 crore by generating 16.30 million units of solar power from 2017 till July 2022. And Rs 48.54 crore was saved with a generation of 91.56 million units of wind power in the windmills plants in Tuticorin districts.
In May, Southern Railways announced that it is planning to set up solar power plants at 18 stations in northern Tamil Nadu. 17 of them are in Chennai and its suburbs. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has given its consent to the project.
The 18 stations are as follows: Avadi, Arakkonam, Beach, Chengalpet, Egmore, MGR Central, Jolarpet, Singaperumal Koil, Perungalathur, Guduvanchery, Tiruvallur, Mambalam, Palavanthangal, Guindy, Velachery, Tirutanni, Perambur, and Tambaram.
Railways is trying to make the Chennai division carbon neutral and zero waste.