Delhi Metro plans to run all operation on solar energy by 2021

New Delhi: In a bid to promote the consumption of solar energy and to save the environment, the Delhi Metro is all set to use the 60 per cent electricity consumption to meet the demands of its needs and also plans to run all its operation on solar energy within next two years (2021). With that, the Delhi Metro would become the world's first green energy metro rail network.

At present, Delhi Metro needs an average 180-200 MW electricity daily for running the 373-km network and buying this electricity from separate companies on commercial rates. "Currently, DMRC produces 21 MW of solar energy. The corporation will start getting 99 MW solar energy from the 750 MW Solar Power Park in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh from May 2019," official said.

Delhi Metro has 271 Metro stations in Delhi-NCR and around 26 lakh people take metro ride daily and "with this significant step the delhi metro is expecting to save over Rs 41 crore with the shift to solar energy," said official.

In July 2019, DMRC had signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Madhya Pradesh-based Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd (RUMSL) to get green power from the latter to run its trains. "The 750 MW solar power project in Rewa is spread on an area of 1590 acres and it is one of the world's largest single-site solar power plants in the world," said statement.

"The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will get green power from the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd (RUMS) within the next two months. The project is estimated to meet 90 percent of the daily electricity demand of the DMRC. Besides, it would save Rs 1,400 crore of Delhi Metro in the next 25 years," said official.

The official further added that with the consumption of solar energy, it will be extremely beneficial for NCR. The city was ranked as the sixth most polluted city of the world in the air quality data compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO).