Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, claims that a comprehensive plan has been developed to upgrade the country’s rail infrastructure, and as part of that plan, solar panels that meet international standards would be installed at seven rail stations to reduce the usage of electricity.
At 45 offices and railway stations in important cities, including Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Multan, and Sukkur divisions, solar panels would be installed with a budget of Rs 40 million.
Pakistan Railway is said to have chosen three locations in Peshawar, five in Rawalpindi, twenty in Lahore, four in Multan, five in Sukkur, three in Quetta, and five in Karachi divisions for the first phase.
If this project is successfully completed, it is said that solar panels will be erected at additional train stations across the nation.
Nevertheless, the additional electricity that these solar panels produce will be delivered to the Water and Electricity Development Authority’s main grid station.
In fact, railway lines will have more potential thanks to solar panels. Alternative energy sources are being employed to generate electricity and conserve it.
Nazia Jabeen, the director of the PR Railway, projected that the project would cost 450 million Pakistani rupees. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has revealed that Pakistan now has a capacity of slightly under 2 GW and intends to raise it to 12.8 GW by 2030.
She continued by stating that LED lights and solar energy systems would be installed, saving an additional Rs 28.92 million annually.
The project’s capacity has also been calculated at 2308 kilowatts with an annual production rate of 3.2 million units at a 20 percent efficiency.
When the project is finished, however, railway stations will be able to save more than Rs 52 million yearly that would have been spent on diesel generator fuel and maintenance.
Officials estimate that Pakistan Railway will save Rs. 70.62 million a year as a result of the cost difference between solar energy and WAPDA electricity. The Pakistan Railway’s total course is just over 11,000 km long.
The government has promoted rooftop solar by exploiting the extensive rail network in India, a bordering nation. This guarantees that each train is solar-powered and aids the government in making substantial energy savings.
In actuality, solar electricity is the most effective kind of energy use. Management and control have become challenging for the administration in Pakistan due to the ongoing energy crisis.
It has problems with households in addition to with industry. Installation of solar panels aids in energy conservation and electricity preservation, which will support the government in maintaining a balance of power at all levels.
Since solar panels are often affordable, a number of businesses are currently providing a variety of packages to assist their clients with the installation process. because it is the most efficient natural source for producing electricity.