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4w ago

Indian Railways Tests Removable Solar Panels Between Tracks in Varanasi

The BLW pilot uses space between rails to generate power without new land, with performance and durability under evaluation before any wider rollout.

Banaras Locomotive Works, Varanasi, commissioned India's first 70m removable solar panel system, 28 panels, 15KWp, between railway tracks.
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Overview

  • Banaras Locomotive Works installed a 70‑metre pilot on Line No. 19 with 28 bifacial mono‑PERC panels totaling 15 kWp.
  • Officials estimate about 67 units of electricity per day from the pilot and project roughly 3.21 lakh units per year per kilometre at 220 kWp per km.
  • Panels are mounted on rubber pads and secured with epoxy to absorb vibrations, sit flush between sleepers, and can be removed for track access.
  • Module specs include 2,278×1,133 mm size, ~31.83 kg weight, 21.31% efficiency, 144 half‑cut cells, IP68 junction box, and 1,500 V system voltage.
  • In a post on X, the Ministry of Railways called the effort a “historic first” tied to net‑zero‑by‑2030 goals for a network that uses nearly 20 billion units of power annually.