The Indian Railways is marching towards its Net Zero Mission with rapid speed. The goal of this initiative is to completely eliminate the carbon footprint of India’s railway system and make it environmentally viable.
According to new data from the Indian Railways Ministry, the railroads’ ability to use solar energy has grown 54 times in the last nine years! That’s commendable considering the vast area in which the railway network is spread.
The capacity of the Indian Railways’ solar power system has increased dramatically. Up until March 2024, 3.68 megawatts of solar power capacity was commissioned and from 2014 to 2023, 200.31 megawatts of solar power was commissioned. The statistics demonstrate unequivocally the expansion of solar electricity and its beneficial use.
Key components of Indian Railways’ Net Zero Carbon Emission Mission:
- Electrification: A significant part of the mission involves electrifying the rail network to replace diesel locomotives with electric ones. Electrification not only reduces carbon emissions but also lowers operating costs and is more environmentally friendly.
- Renewable Energy: Indian Railways planned to generate a significant portion of its energy needs from renewable sources such as solar and wind. This initiative includes setting up solar panels at railway stations and using wind energy to power trains.
- Green Stations: The mission also includes the development of ‘green stations‘ with environmentally friendly features such as rainwater harvesting, waste recycling, and sustainable landscaping.
- Bio-Toilets: Indian Railways has been deploying bio-toilets in trains and stations to reduce pollution from human waste.
- Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trains: Exploring the possibility of using hydrogen fuel cells to power trains, which emit only water vapour as a byproduct, is also part of the mission.
Achieving net-zero carbon emissions is a challenging and long-term endeavour, and Indian Railways has taken significant steps to make its operations more sustainable and eco-friendly, at least that’s what the numbers show.
