Wednesday, August 13, 2014: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has launched a solar power plant at its Dwarka Sector 21 Metro station. It is a rooftop solar power plant model and this model can be reproduced at government buildings in Delhi too, according to Union power minister Piyush Goyal.
The minister of state with independent charge for power, coal and new and renewable energy said, “If solar power is produced on a large scale, it could be made viable. The base price for the solar projects can be kept low so that these projects can sustain themselves without the requirement of subsidy. The power production should be increased so that the power tariff can be reduced.” In next three years DMRC plans to make it bigger in creating the alternate energy front and will produce 20 MW electricity through solar panels.
The solar plant which has been inaugurated at Dwarka metro station is that of 500 KWp. Three such plants will also come up at Anand Vihar ISBT metro station, Pragati Maidan metro station and the DMRC residential apartments at Pushp Vihar. Whie speaking at the event urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu emphasised that alternate means have to be found out for increase in power generation. To quote the minister, “I feel very happy and proud that the DMRC has done it in record time. This initiative to meet DMRC’s power requirements is an all-out effort to promote renewable energy. The need of the hour is to promote renewable energy as 80 per cent of our fossil fuel is used to meet our power needs and it is not a very happy situation. I am happy that the DMRC has taken my suggestion of improving the services and reducing the tariff of Airport Metro.”
Production of 20 MW power from the solar power plants will be advanced in next one year and more options will be explored in the meantime. DMRC chief Mangu Singh said, “To produce 20 MW, the solar panels should be installed at 30 to 40 Metro stations. The solar panels require a large area and therefore the corporation will start identifying the stations with the space available.”
