Direct green power instead of grid-fed could help railways more: Study

A new study by an Indian NGO Climate Trends and UK-based green tech start-up Riding Sunbeams has found that direct supply of solar energy to the Indian Railway lines would save almost 7 million tonne (mt) of carbon a year whilst also powering at least one in four train on the national network on competitive terms.

The railways plans to earmark 51,000 hectares of unproductive land for solar development as part of its net zero commitment by 2030.  Plans are already underway to deliver 20GW of solar generation to match growing demand for energy to move trains. The analysis said 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 or grid, reducing energy losses and saving money for the rail operator.

According to the study, 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 mt CO2 annually- just over the entire annual emissions of the city of Kanpur.

The Railways plans to install 20 GW of solar for both traction (for running of trains) and non-traction loads as part of its plan to reach net-zero by 2030. It formed a joint venture Railway Energy Management Company to support the development of solar PV and wind energy projects to supply the railway’s energy needs.

To assess the share of Indian Railways’ traction load that could be met with direct solar PV supply, the energy demand of 16 out of 18 railway zones were studied. Two load profiles were considered - the flat profile assumed the traction demand was constant every day of the year between 4 am and 11 pm, while the commuter profile assumed a morning and evening peak, as observed on traction networks in the UK.

According to Arunabha Ghosh, chief executive officer, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, building on the ambitious goal for 100 per ccent electrification of the Railways, it would be logical to embrace and scale up solar and wind to reach net-zero emissions by 2030. “In the immediate run, the Railways could focus on greening their electrification system and substations. Installing rooftop systems on station buildings and workshops could also result in significant cost savings. In the long term, green hydrogen is another promising option to power the trains," he added.  

The report also underscored the Railways’ dependence on coal, both as an energy source and as its key freight commodity, accounting for almost a third of its revenue in 2018-19. The researchers recommended that the Railways must restructure its business model away from coal freight as part of its net zero commitment.