Pune Metro Launches 4.3 MW Rooftop Solar Power Plant At Range Hills Depot, To Save Rs 6.53 Crore Annually On Electricity Bills
Range Hills (Khadki), 25th January 2024: The Pune Metro Rail Project encompasses two corridors, the North-South Corridor (Purple line) and the East-West Corridor (Aqua line), covering a total length of 33.2 KM with 30 stations. The elevated section spans 27.2 KM, while the underground section measures 6 KM.
The project includes maintenance depots at Range Hills and Vanaz. Notably, sections from PCMC to Phugewadi (7 KM) and Vanaz to Garware (5 KM) were inaugurated by Hon’ble PM on March 6, 2022, and August 1, 2023, respectively, with additional sections inaugurated during these events.
The vision of Pune Metro is to establish an energy-efficient Metro Rail System of international standards, aiming to enhance the city’s quality of life and contribute to its overall development. Emphasizing ‘Green Energy,’ the project incorporates solar and wind power.
Solar panels have been installed at 10 stations and two maintenance depots, including Range Hill Depot and Vanaz Depot. On January 25, 2024, the Solar Power Plant at Range Hill Depot was inaugurated by the MD of Maha Metro, marking the commencement of power generation for the station and depot. Present at the ceremony were Director Works, Atul Gadgil, Director Systems and Operations Vinod Agrawal, Executive Director O & M Rajesh Diwedi, and Executive Director Admin & PR- Dr.Hemant Sonawane, along with Anup Jhamtani and Virendra Bhagwat from Jhamtani Prosumers Solar Pvt Ltd.
The first solar plant with a capacity of 200 kWp was installed at Sant Tukaram Metro Station in February 2022. With the 4300 kWp solar plant now operational, Pune Metro anticipates generating 7 million units of electricity annually, resulting in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Jhamtani Prosumers Solar Pvt. Ltd. installed the solar plant under the RESCO mode for Pune Metro, operating it for the next 25 years. Before the commissioning of the solar panels at Range Hill Depot IWB (758 KWp), the average energy export was approximately 1000-1300 units/day. Since the commissioning on January 20, 2024, the average energy export has increased to approximately 4300 units/day.
The daily average power generation through solar panels is 15,557 units (kWh), resulting in Rs 6.53 crore savings in the power bill annually. On this occasion, Hardikar, MD Maha Metro, stated, “Maha Metro is committed to generating as much green energy as possible, contributing to environmental conservation and pollution reduction.”
