Metro's roof-top solar project gets registered with UN climate

The Delhi Metro's initiative to install roof-top solar power plants at its premises has become the "first-ever" green project to be registered with a UN framework on climate change for any metro or railway system in the world.
The clean development mechanism project has been registered with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) under the 'small scale category' for facilities with an installed solar capacity of less than 15 MW, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) today said.
"The DMRC-run roof-top solar facilities have an installed capacity of 14.983 MWp which translates to an estimated electricity generation of 19,687 MWh annually," the Delhi Metro said.

MWp or mega watt peak refers to the peak level of the capacity in MW.
A total of 31 grid-connected roof-top solar power facilities across the stations, depots, receiving sub-stations and residential colonies of DMRC were identified for this clean development mechanism project.
The project is expected to generate an estimated 18,506 carbon credits, though the exact number of credits will be available only after verification audit scheduled mid-2018, a senior official of DMRC said.

The project was registered in a record time of "eight months" on March 25, about two months ahead of schedule.
"This is the fifth climate change project to be successfully registered by the DMRC. Two more projects are in the stage of registration presently," the official said.

Delhi Metro also said it had earlier been certified by the UN as the "first metro rail and rail-based system in the world to get carbon credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as it has helped to reduce pollution levels in the city by 6.3 lakh tonnes every year thus helping in reducing global warming".
The UNFCCC has already registered the Metro in two categories for promoting clean development mechanism and earning carbon credits.
DMRC has come up with a solar policy of its own to utilise as much solar power as possible for its ever increasing energy needs. It plans to produce 50 MWp of solar power by the year 2021, the official said.

DMRC is trying to utilise the space available at its stations, depots, residential areas and parking facilities to install solar power facilities.