Prabhu advocates use of clean energy in railways

Expressing concerns over the use of fossil fuel, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today said there was a need to embark upon a "clean energy mission" to prevent the loss of bio-diversity as carbon emission was affecting climate change and affecting world's biological life.
Our mission should be clean energy and not just solar energy, Prabhu said while addressing a conference to explore opportunities for using solar energy in the rail sector here.
He said railways was single largest consumer of energy in terms of both fuel and electricity in the country and steps should be taken to use wind and solar energy.

"Emission is affecting climate change which is causing concern for the survival of biological life of the world and we are losing bio-diversity in the process. The need of the hour is to arrest the decline of bio-diversity," he said.
Highlighting the urgent need for protection of environment, Prabhu said climate change is causing unseasonal rains, cloud bursts, change in cropping pattern, as a result farmers are facing problems.
Railways consumes about 18 billion units of electrical energy per annum.

Advocating use of clean energy which is environmentally sustainable and economically viable, Prabhu said "we should work not only for reducing carbon footprint but also earning carbon credit."

Taking note of the high demand for energy, he said alternate source such solar energy should be explored.
"Energy-consumption per capita has increased and we have to find a different source and the best source to provide energy is solar energy."
He said rooftops of railway buildings and vacant land like desert of Rajasthan can be used for producing solar energy.
He also stressed on the need to develop technology for storage of electricity saying it is also important so that we can store it and use it whenever required.
Referring to wind energy, he said there were so much opportunities in the sector since India has a vast track of seashores.

There should be a hybrid technology developed for using both wind and solar energy, he said.
Railways, in its endeavour to counter the menace of global warming has targeted large scale harnessing of renewable energy, mainly solar and wind energy, in addition to adoption of energy efficient technologies.
Prabhu in his budget had announced a target of installing 1000 mega watt solar power in Railways in next 5 years.