VIJAYAWADA: The Indian Railways has installed photovoltaic cells on platform No 4 and 5 of Vijayawada railway station to harness solar power. The capacity of the solar power unit costing about Rs 60 lakh, is 65 kW, the highest among similar units at railway stations in India, according to the South Central Railway (SCR).
Vijayawada railway station is the recipient of ISO 14001: 2015 certification and it has secured the seventh rank in the third-party audit conducted on the cleanliness of railway stations. As per the geographical conditions, Vijayawada is considered a hot and humid area, which is conducive to tap solar power. Taking the favourable factors into consideration, the Indian Railways has been exploring ways to tap more solar power at Vijayawada station.
The high capacity building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solar plant of 65 kWp has been set up on platform Nos 4 and 5 of Vijayawada railway station without using any galvanised sheets. A total of 198 solar panels, each of 330 Wp capacity are installed on the shelter structure. The approximate power generation from this structure is around 1.06 lakh units and caters to 17 per cent of the power needs of the station thus resulting in saving of Rs 8.1 lakh per annum.
SCR General Manager Gajanan Mallya appreciated the efforts of Vijayawada Railway Division officials in harnessing solar power with available resources. “The solar power plants will help reduce the expenditure of the zone on its energy needs,” he added.