Chennai Metro Commissions Two New Solar Power Plants

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd Issues Tender for Parking Solar Project of 3 MWp

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) has commissioned two rooftop solar power plants at the Naganallur and Meenambakkam stations on its metro line.

The two solar plants worth a combined capacity of 428 kWp have been installed on the roofs of the two stations and the electricity generated will be used to meet the day-to-day power demands of the two stations.

The solar plants, with a capacity to generate around 57,780 units per month, is expected to save metro rail around Rs 26.34 lakh per year. While a major portion of the operations at the stations is planned to be powered by solar panels in the future, CMRL is also working towards using solar power for operation of trains eventually.

The generated solar power will be utilised for lighting systems and to operate electrical equipment required for the maintenance of the stations. So far, CMRL has a total installed capacity of 4.1 MW solar power including those installed at its head office in Koyambedu and a few other metro stations. 

CMRL had already installed 1 MW solar panels at its depot and 125 kW at its car park area generating a total of 1.35 lakh units a month saving CMRL Rs 21.6 lakh for CMRL on power charges. Another 2.5 MW rooftop solar power installation is under progress and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. 

Recently, the second phase powering of Kochi Metro with solar power will soon be inaugurated with the installation of panels at Muttom yard. The latest capacity additions are expected to bump the metro rail corps solar power usage, almost doubling it to 40 percent.

It is expected that by 2020, an additional 2.5 hectares of land will be made available for solar installations so that solar power can be used for all stations as well as depots and 13 buildings of Metro corporation.