Direct supply of solar energy to Indian Railways will enable two billion passengers to travel on solar powered trains and help save almost seven millions tonnes of carbon a year, according to a study.
The study conducted by NGO Climate Trends and UK-based green tech startup Riding Sunbeams said direct supply of solar energy to Indian Railway lines - without the need to connect via the grid - will power at least one in four trains on the national network on competitive terms.
"According to the Indian Railways 2019-20 annual report, there was passenger traffic of over eight billion during that period, which would mean that two billion passengers could be travelling on trains directly powered by solar energy," said the study.
One million is equal to ten lakhs.
The study said that a mix of electrification, energy efficiency and a switch to renewable energy will be needed to enable the target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Indian Railways to be a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030.
The new analysis highlights that around a quarter of this new solar capacity - up to 5,272 MW - could be fed directly into the railway's overhead lines instead of being procured over the electricity networks, reducing energy losses and saving money for the rail operator.
The researchers found that substituting energy supplied from the coal-dominated grid for private-wire supply from solar could also rapidly cut emissions by as much as 6.8 million tonnes carbon dioxide each year.
Report co-author and Riding Sunbeams founder and director of innovation Leo Murray said, "Right now India is leading the world on two vital climate frontiers - rail electrification and solar power deployment. Our analysis shows that connecting these two keystone low-carbon technologies together in Indian Railways can drive both India's economic recovery from the Covid pandemic and its efforts to transition off fossil fuels to tackle the climate crisis." Another author of the report and Director at Climate Trends Aarti Khosla noted that the government pumps large sums of money to modernise the railways.
"Indian Railways plays an important role in the lives of every Indian. Not only is it the most practical mode of transportation, it is also the most famous and the largest employer in the country. The government pumps large sums of money to modernise the railways, which, in turn, will play a large role in a net zero vision of the nation.
"There has been analysis that converting all diesel locomotives to electric will indeed increase the emissions in the short term, however, this report shows the tremendous opportunity of doing it right the first time, by creating a direct connection of the locomotive system to solar PV installations, meeting more than a quarter of the total demand," Khosla said.
The researchers also warned that achieving the target of full electrification of all routes by 2023 could be accompanied by an increase in CO2 emissions in the short term because of India's current reliance on coal to produce electricity.
The team analysed the traction energy demand on each of India's railway zones and matched this with the potential solar resource in each region to produce a figure for the total amount of solar energy that could be connected directly to the railway to run trains, the study said.
The top five zones with the greatest solar-to-rail potential found in the study were South Central Railway (394-625MW) which serves Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Pondicherry; Central Railway (299-475MW) in Maharashtra; Northern Railway (290-459MW) in Punjab, Haryana, UP and Delhi; Western Railway (280-443MW) in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and; West Central Railway (278-440MW) serving Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and some areas in Uttar Pradesh.
"The calculations assume that all of the energy generated by the solar is used by the railway, and do not include the potential for battery storage integration. Factoring in lower utilization rates and storage could boost solar-to-rail potential to over 40 per cent of Indian Railways' traction energy demand," the study said.
It explored how strategic investment in dedicated freight corridors and new high speed routes can support Indian Railways to boost passengers and freight traffic, and the key role this can play in achieving India's national climate change commitments.
