The Tiruchi Railway Division has begun to harness solar power for its energy requirements in a slow and steady manner to curtail its mounting electricity bills.
A grid connected solar generating system has been installed at the Running Room, located near the Tiruchi Railway Junction, where Loco Pilots and Assistant Loco Pilots take rest after completion of duty hours.
A row of 40 roof top solar panels with a total 10KWp capacity has been established atop the Running Room here with the system having been commissioned. It works under the specification laid down by the Ministry of Non Renewable Energy. A senior railway official told The Hindu that the average generation would be 35 units per day; 1050 units per month and 12,600 units in a year.
The system has been put up by a Tiruchi-based private firm at a cost of ₹6.80 lakh. With the commissioning of the solar energy generating system, the average savings are expected to be ₹8,400 per month and₹1,00,800 per year by way of electricity charges, said the official.
A similar roof top solar power generating system with the same capacity is being established at the Running Room in Villupuram Junction which comes under the Tiruchi Railway Division’s jurisdiction.
Works at Villupuram have already started and plans were also afoot to set up a similar unit at Kumbakonam and Tiruvarur railway stations in the near future, the official said.
