Delhi Metro trains to now run on solar power too; DMRC gets 27 MW power from Rewa project

Delhi Metro trains will now also run on solar power as the DMRC on Thursday received 27 MW power from the Madhya Pradesh-based Rewa Solar Power Project, officials said.

This will also be the first time when the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will be receiving power from an "offsite source".

"Till now, solar power generated by roof-top solar plants installed in DMRC premises were utilised for auxiliary requirements such as lighting and air conditioning of stations, depots.

"But, now solar power coming from Rewa would also be used for operation of trains," a senior official of the DMRC said.

He said, an agreement on offsite sourcing of power for the DMRC was signed in 2017.

"The DMRC has started receiving solar power from the Rewa Solar Power Project from today onwards. Today, DMRC received 27 MW power from the project based in Madhya Pradesh and the same will gradually increase to 99 MW," the DMRC said in a statement.

Marking the beginning of this "new arrangement", DMRC's Managing Director Mangu Singh Thursday travelled in a metro train powered by solar energy along with other officials from the JLN Stadium station to Central Secretariat station on the Violet Line, the official said.

Chairperson, Rewa Ultra Mega Solar, Manu Srivastava, and Director General, International Solar Alliance, Upendra Tripathi, were also present.

"The power received from Rewa will be utilised for the operational as well as auxiliary requirements of the Delhi Metro," the DMRC said.

On an average about 345 million units (MU) of power will be received from Rewa in a calendar year. In 2018-19, Delhi Metro consumed about 1092 MU of power for its operations, the statement said.

Besides the power received from Rewa, the Delhi Metro generates about 28 MW of solar power through a number of roof-top solar power projects which have been installed at stations, residential colonies and depots.

The Rewa Ultra Mega Solar is a solar power plant in the Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district. It has a total capacity of 750 MW and is one of the largest single-site solar power plants in the world.