In a bid to save energy and electricity, the Delhi metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will run metro trains powered by the solar energy as the DMRC has started receiving solar power from the Rewa Solar Power Project from Thursday. On the first day, the corporation received 27 Mega Watts (MW) power from the project based in Madhya Pradesh and the same will gradually increase to 99 MW.  There would be a huge savings to the Delhi Metro due to the 99MW as per unit cost of power will reduce from over Rs 4.50 to Rs 3.30.

Marking the beginning of this new arrangement, Mangu Singh, the Managing Director along with Manu Srivastava, Chairperson, Rewa Ultra Mega Solar, Upendra Tripathi, Director General, International Solar Alliance and other senior officials took a ride on a Metro powered by solar energy from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Station to Central Secretariat on the violet line.

“The power received from the Rewa will be utilized for the operational as well as auxiliary requirements of the Delhi Metro. Till now, the DMRC has generated solar power on its own on the roof tops by installing plants installed and it used it for the auxiliary requirements such as lighting and air conditioning of stations, depots,” said a DMRC official.

In 2017, the DMRC signed a power purchase agreement with Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company to get 24 per cent of the electricity generated from 750 Mega Watt Rewa Ultra Mega Power Project. The prestigious solar park will start supplying power to the DMRC from October.

Currently, the DMRC has 28 MW of solar powers that has been produced by on its own by setting up solar plants and panels in the rooftops of the station, buildings, residential colonies and depots.

“Besides, 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 on Delhi Metro’s stations, residential colonies and depots. The Delhi Metro is a pioneer in terms of creating solar power generation infrastructure in the country today. Also, this step will help reduce pollution because currently we use thermal powers that produce polluting substances,” said an official.

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 million units (MU) of power for its operations, said the official.

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