KOCHI: The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) is all set to increase its solar power use to 6.3 MWp (megawatt peak). This follows an agreement signed with AMP Solar India Private Ltd on Monday. The power purchase agreement (PPA) for 2.3MWp solar power will be through a ground-mounted solar plant on the land available at the Muttom depot.
Currently, KMRL has solar panels on the rooftop of 16 stations and buildings in the Metro yard. The installation capacity of the rooftop project is 4 MWp.
The agreement was signed between Thiruman Archunan, director projects, KMRL, and Shriprakash Rai, director, distributed generation, AMP Solar, in the presence of A P M Mohammed Hanish, MD, KMRL.
KMRL officials said that this would raise the total solar power generated by KMRL to 6.3 MWp.
Kochi Metro has adopted the renewable energy service company (RESCO) model for both their solar projects, where the vendor would undertake the complete investment as well as the operation and maintenance, and KMRL would purchase power from the vendor. The agreement is on the condition that KMRL would purchase solar power at the lowest rate quoted by the successful bidder for the next 25 years.
“KMRL has always taken the effort to make Kochi Metro the most environment-friendly green metro in the country, and we are committed to take up all possible measures to strive towards this goal. Today, we are very happy to add 2.3 MWp by erecting solar panels at our Muttom yard. We are on the lookout for opportunities to generate more solar power and become more energy efficient,” said Hanish.
The plant will be commissioned in nine months’ time. The power generated by the plant will be connected to the power distribution system of KMRL, which will utilize the energy generated by the plant.
The plant is capable of producing 34.3 lakh units (KWH) of electric energy per year.
With this green initiative, KMRL will be able to save about Rs 63 lakh per year of energy cost directly, in addition to the indirect benefit of saving in fossil fuels and reduction in pollution.
Kochi Metro is also planning to use solar for its Water Metro project. All the 78 boats to be introduced as part of the Water Metro project would be solar-powered.
The agency said that though the boats would have engines that run on fossil fuel it would primarily operate on solar power.
Article Source: Times of India