File photo of Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu
Centre is mulling to set up solar thermal plants on land parcels owned by Railways to boost up the usage of renewable energy, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said today at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event in Mumbai.
"There is a need to work towards reducing carbon emissions. We cannot continue to depend on the traditional sources of energy like coal if we have to reduce carbon emission. We will have to find innovative ways, use technology and processes that can reduce these emissions," the minister said.
The ministry is taking various steps to increase usage of solar power to meet the needs of Railways that consumes maximum electricity.
"We have already initiated the process of using rooftop of railway buildings for generating solar power. We are also harnessing solar energy by putting panels on the roof of railway coaches," he said.
"We are also planning to develop solar thermal way of generating power. The Centre has plenty of Railways land across the country where solar thermal projects can be set up," Mr Prabhu said.
We are considering developing solar power generation under Public Private Partnership model," the minister added.
Mr Prabhu in his maiden budget had announced that government will be setting up 1,000 MW solar plants in next five years.
Speaking at the occasion, Forbes Marshall Director and CII President Designate Naushad Forbes said, "Around 42 per cent of India's greenhouse gas emissions come from energy generation and about 76 per cent of that energy is consumed by industrial and commercial users. Accurate measurement is the first step to mitigation."
The Railway Minister further said there was a need to conduct energy audits to keep a control on such emissions and effective use of electricity.