Team Herald
MARGAO: Catering to almost 40 per cent of the power requirement at Margao Railway Station, a 180 kWp solar power project that was installed here in January 2021 is being looked at as the model to follow, with the railway station drastically cutting down on its carbon footprint.
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Even the Union Ministry of Railways has acknowledged this and issued a statement about the work done at Margao, which is Konkan Railway Corporation’s (KRC) premier station in Goa.
“Progressing Towards Greener Railways! Indian Railways is working in mission mode towards minimising its carbon footprint, in this direction, a 180 kWp capacity solar power plant has been set up at
Margao Station, Goa,” said a senior Union Ministry official.
Thanks to the sustainable power project, the station has managed to slash its carbon footprint by nearly 70 tonnes, and this figure will continue to grow. The project has generated over five lakh units of electricity over the last two years.
In 2028, seven years after the installation, Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) is also expecting a good return on the investment made.
KRCL’s Deputy General Manager Baban Ghatge said this grid-connected solar power generation system has helped KRCL save more than Rs 32 lakh from January 2021 to December 2022.
“The project costing Rs 1.32 crore was sponsored under the MPLAD funds by then South Goa Member of Parliament (MP) Narendra Sawaikar, in 2019. The work had commenced in 2019 and we started generating power in January 2021,” Ghatge added.
Ghatge further explained that the project is spread over 1,235 square metres on the rooftops of the two sheds of Platforms 2 and 3 at the Margao Railway station.
“We usually generate on an average around 20,000 units per month,” said Ghatge.
This project has been implemented at the two other KRCL stations in Goa too.
“We have provided a similar set up, but of lesser capacity, at Tivim and Karmali Railway stations. At Karmali, it is 20 kWp and at Tivim, it is 7 kWp,” Ghatge added.
