Vijayawada Railway Division Solar Capacity Reaches 4.8 MW, Cuts CO2 by Thousands of Tonnes

deccanchronicle.com

by clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 points

Vijayawada Railway Division has expanded its solar capacity to 4,864 kWp across 265 installations, including rooftops at stations, service buildings, staff quarters, and level-crossing gates. In 2025-26, the division generated 44,06,903 units of clean energy, saving ₹461.40 lakh and avoiding 3,525.52 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Between April and July 2026, it added 19,90,741 units, saving ₹185.54 lakh and preventing 1,592.59 tonnes of CO2. The division also achieved IGBC Platinum certification for Vijayawada Railway Station, which has 610 kWp of building-integrated solar panels. Ten stations now qualify as net-zero 'Shunya Plus' energy-neutral stations, generating surplus solar power. Additional measures include full LED lighting, solar water heaters, solar-powered street lights, and biogas plants. These efforts support Indian Railways' goal of becoming a Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

Solid numbers from Vijayawada division. 4.8 MW across 265 sites is a good spread. The 3,525 tonnes CO2 avoided in a year is meaningful. But I'd like to know the capacity factor or how much of that solar is actually being used on site vs exported.

eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 pts

The shift to LED and solar water heaters is the kind of low-hanging fruit that adds up. 56,700 litres per day of hot water is a lot of diesel or electricity saved. Good to see railways taking this seriously.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

I'm curious about the 610 kWp BIPV on Vijayawada station. BIPV often underperforms compared to rack-mounted. Also, 10 net-zero stations is impressive, but what happens during monsoon months when solar drops? Is there storage or grid backup?

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The net zero target by 2030 for Indian Railways is ambitious. This division is doing its part, but the real test is scaling this across all divisions. Also, the carbon accounting needs to be transparent. Are they counting only generation or also lifecycle emissions of panels?

solar_winds_05·1 month ago·1 pts

Nice to see concrete numbers: 44 lakh units generated, 461 lakh rupees saved. That's about 4.4 million units and 4.6 million rupees. The cost savings are real. But I wonder about maintenance costs and degradation over time.