The two new metro lines in the western suburbs of Mumbai are likely to be operational by next year and may meet 35 per cent of their total power requirement through solar energy.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the nodal authority for Metro, is planning to install solar panels on the roof of the stations for the upcoming Metro-2A (Dahisar to DN Nagar) and Metro-7 (Dahisar East to Andheri East) lines. Currently under-construction, Metro-2A will have 17 stations and Metro-7 will have 13 stations.
With a capacity of around 7.63MWp, MMRDA has issued tenders for a power purchase agreement (PPA) with interested utilities for a period of 25 years. The vendor will be expected to design, manufacture, supply, construct and look at the operation and maintenance of the project.
According to MMRDA data, 85 per cent of the foundation work, 6 per cent of the pier construction work and 50 per cent of the girder launch for both the corridors have been completed. Officials aim to complete the civil works for the corridors before the monsoon, so they can remove the barricades to avoid traffic.
Recently, the Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), which runs the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro-1 corridor, installed solar panels on the rooftop of the DN Nagar depot. According to MMOPL, the 2,000 rooftop solar panels, with a capacity of 612 KWp, generate 0.9 million units of energy annually and fulfill 25 per cent of the auxiliary energy requirements of the depot. All 12 stations along the corridor have solar panels on the rooftop that generate electricity for equipment.
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