Indian Railways Adopts First-Ever Detachable Solar Track Panels

Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) has made history by putting in place the nation's first detachable solar panel system between operational railway tracks, marking a revolutionary step towards the adoption of renewable energy. General Manager Naresh Pal Singh officially launched the project on Independence Day.

Solar Panels on Railway Sleepers

The sleepers, which are the support beams underneath the tracks, will have detachable solar panels installed as part of the experimental project. Installed on Line No. 19 of the BLW workshop, the project mounts solar panels without interfering with rail traffic using an indigenously built installation process. Additionally, the panels are simple to remove whenever track repair is needed.

Support for Indian Railways’ Green Mission

The project supports Indian Railways' mission to mitigate climate change and advance renewable energy. Noting that the project enhances the BLW property's current rooftop solar power plants, the general manager commended Chief Electrical Service Engineer Bhardwaj Chaudhary and his group for the accomplishment.

"In addition to offering a fresh perspective on solar energy utilization, this project will also serve as a strong model for green energy generation in Indian Railways going forward," Singh stated.

Overcoming Technical Challenges

Rubber mounting pads were utilized to reduce the vibrations created by passing trains, and epoxy adhesive was employed to firmly attach the panels to the concrete sleepers. The panels are also easy to clean. For track work, they can be removed by unscrewing just four bolts.

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Key Project Details

• Length of Track: 70m

• Capacity of Installed Solar Plant: 15 KWp

• Number of Solar Panels: 28

• Power Density: 240 KWp/KM

• Energy Density: 960 units/KM/Day

Future Potential

According to officials, the system could be widely implemented on yard lines without requiring land acquisition, as it utilizes the space between tracks in Indian Railways' 1.2 lakh-kilometer network. The annual capacity is anticipated to be 3.21 lakh units per kilometer.

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