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Journalism of Courage
Indian Railways Green Initiatives: To move closer to its net-zero emission goal, Indian Railways (IR) is rapidly adopting solar energy as part of its strategy towards a greener and more sustainable transport network. As part of the initiatives, Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi has become the country’s first city to have portable solar panels between railway tracks.
Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), Varanasi has commissioned India’s first removable solar panel system installed between railway track.
Sharing a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ministry of Railways said: “Banaras Locomotive Works, Varanasi commissioned India’s first 70m removable solar panel system (28 panels, 15KWp) between railway tracks—a step towards green and sustainable rail transport.”
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BLW has rolled out this pilot project in its workshop line number 19 with an indigenously-designed installation procedure to lay solar panels between the rails without disrupting train traffic. “These solar panels are not only durable and efficient but also removable allowing for maintenance and seasonal adaptation,” the railways said in a statement.
Solar Panel Installation Between Tracks in Varanasi: Technical Details (Project)
| Length of Track | 70m |
| Capacity of Installed Solar Plant | 15 KWp |
| No. of Solar Panel | 28 |
| Power density | 240 KWp/KM |
| Energy density | 960 unit/KM/Day |
Source: Indian Railways
Solar Panel Installation Between Tracks in Varanasi: Technical Details (Solar Panels)
| Length | 2278 mm |
| Width | 1133 mm |
| Height | 30 mm |
| Weight | 31.83 Kg |
| Junction box IP | 68 |
| Cable connection | 300 mm length cable MC4 compatible connection |
| Maximum system voltage | 1500 v |
| Application class | Class A (Safety class II) |
| Cells | 144 half cut mono crystalline P type PERC bifacial collar cells multi bus bar |
| Encapsulation | High volume resistivity and low MVTR |
| Substrate | Transparent |
| Frame | Anodized Frame |
Source: Indian Railways
Solar Panel Installation Between Tracks in Varanasi: Technical Details (Electrical Data)
| Parameter | Value |
| Wp (watt) | 602 |
| Voltage (mp) (volt) | 41.78 |
| Current (mp)(amp) | 13.24 |
| Open circuit voltage (Voc) (volt) | 49.71 |
| ISc (amp) | 15.16 |
| Module efficiency (%) | 20.15 |
Source: Indian Railways
Indian Railways has track length of 1.2 lakh km. The railways can utilised the yard lines for installation of solar panels between the tracks. “In this scheme, no land acquisition is required as space between tracks are utilized for solar panels. This scheme has potential of 3.50 lakh units/year/KM,” it said in a statement.
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