Tuesday, June 24, 2014: Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda is planning to renovate the railway mechanism in India. He is encouraging the government to make the Indian Railways environment friendly. Solar energy will be used to generate energy for trains around Delhi. Plans are on to furnish about 30 coaches of DEMUs (Diesel Electric Multiple Units) deployed as local trains around Delhi with solar panels. This Rs 70 million project could be a game changer for the Indian Railways currently under heavy loss.
The Project was initiated by Ashwani Lohani who is Chief Administrative Officer of Indian Railways Originations for Alternate Fuels (IROAL). IROAL will install solar panels on rail coaches in collaboration with private companies. These solar panels will be used to run fans and electricity inside the train.
The department is expecting to finish the project within six months. So hopefully we can see trains with solar panel on rooftop running between Delhi-UP, Delhi-Haryana routes. IROAL wants Indian railways to emerge as a world class organisation. Implementing efficient and eco-friendly technologies in Indian railways is their primary aim..
Indian Railways have already been trying to use alternate energy sources for fuel. They have already tried CNG, biodiesel and LPG.
