Indian railways proposes 800 megawatt solar park

[Arslan]

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/04/24/indian-railways-proposes-800-megawatt-solar-park/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29

[Arslan Ijaz]

It is good to see that a railway system that is ranked number 4^th in the world is actually making efforts in moving towards the sustainable energy resources. After having one successful project, going forward for another project shows that Indian government is taking steps towards the economic and social improvement. Moving towards sustainability is not a job of only one department but a whole system and that’s what this article showed. Auction companies, state government and national government are all moving forward towards the betterment of the country and its future generations. Fulfilling the 25% of its energy needs from renewable energy recourses for Indian railway system is a considerable change towards sustainability. I wish we could have thought about this a while ago so we could actually save a lot of our natural resources and made the world less pollutes as compared to what we have done now. But I am happy that we are thinking about it now and moving towards a positive direction. 

[Chun S]

It’s very exciting to see that the government expanding the installed capacity of solar power, 800 megawatt installed capacity of solar power can approximately generate around 1.8 billion kilowatts hour per year. Not sure if it will cover up to 25% of energy needs by 2025, but as long as it reduces the power generated by ther other heavy polluted coal power generators, it benefit the residents in the country and the world a lot.

[Dobhal, Shivani]

It is truly astounding to see these environment-friendly projects emerge from a country as big as India. Every country in the world has it's fair share of responsibility in protecting the environment. However, things really change for the better when immensely populated countries such as India or China take initiative in using clean resources in fulfilling the energy needs of their population. Indian railways is probably the biggest consumer of electricity in India, with its network spanning over 66000 kilometers ( HT, April 2017) . According to an article in Hindustan Times, Indian railways current dependency on diesel, one of the 'dirtiest' source of energy will be reduced considerably if this switch to using solar energy is made sooner than later. Not only will this cut costs in terms of energy usage, it will reduce harmful emissions and make India amongst the global frontrunners in saving the environment. That being said, utilizing 25% of its energy from renewable resources by 2025 might sound tough, but something similar has been done by states such as Gujarat and Rajasthan and should not be considered completely unachievable. 

Reference- 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indian-railways-to-source-25-of-power-needs-from-renewables-by-2025/story-UhVDRxylsdJCuk2K9LzkuM.html

[Arslan Ijaz]

I agree with Shivani, for Indian railways to fulfill its needs of energy up to 25% through renewable energy resources by 2025 is hard but an achievable task. If most states take initiatives and install projects like the state of Madhya Pradesh, then it will be an easily achievable task for Indian railway. Since they are already on the way of achieving their goal, I will definitely give them the benefit of doubt and I am hopeful they will be able to get there. 

[Martinez, Alfred S.]

Another perspective here is - yes, renewable clean energy is always a direct benefit to the environment and ultimately the public - that expanding its energy portfolio can also prove to be advantageous for reasons other than environmental but economic. Or better yet, oil and coal, if necessary, can be utilized in cases of emergency.

Overall, I agree with the progression towards renewable energy as it is cleaner. Indeed, Shivani, this is a great move as the impact will be seen by such a large population.