India plans solar-powered railways
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The Indian government has set itself of a target of using renewable energies, including solar power, for at least 10% of its railway network.
Under its ‘Vision 2020’ strategy, the Ministry of Railways intends to set up solar and wind power plants over the next four years to generate its own power.
The Economic Times reported Railways Minister, Suresh Prabhu, as saying that the Indian rail network is a “significant” energy consumer, and that harnessing more environmentally-friendly sources of energy is “essential”.
“Vision 2020… states that the key target is to utilise at least 10% of its energy requirement from renewable sources. As a part of this, Indian Railways has planned to set up 1,000 megawatt solar power plant and about 200 megawatt of wind power plants by 2020,” an official statement said.
At present, India’s railway network harnesses 50 megawatts of green energy, including the generation of solar power from the rooftops of stations and service buildings.
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