In a first-of-its-kind world event, the Indian Railways has set up Solar Plant in Madhya Pradesh to facilitate the running of trains from the state. The plant has been set up in Bina of Madhya Pradesh to provide power to Railway overhead lines for electronic locomotives.
Railways networks across the world have been using solar power, but the usage was limited to fulfilling electricity requirements at railway stations & offices. Whilst Indian Railways was using solar panels on train roofs to power electricity in trains, this will be the first time ever solar energy will be used for running trains.
The Indian Railways has set up a 1.7-megawatt solar plant in collaboration with Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL) on Railway land near the tracks in Bina. The solar plant is expected to generate about 24.82 lakh units of electricity on an annual basis, helping the national transporter save about ₹1.37 crores annually.
The foundation of this initiative was set up in November 2019 while the trials began last month after the completion of the setup. The plant has been designed by BHEL in compliance with Railway engineers.