The Guwahati railway station becomes the Northeast’s first station to run fully on solar energy. Photo Courtesy: NFR. The Guwahati railway station becomes the Northeast’s first station to run fully on solar energy. Photo Courtesy: NFR.

After almost a year of being fully functional, the solar power project of the Guwahati railway station is being considered as a worthy lesson in environmental consciousness. The project, which was launched in April 2017, meets the power needs of the entire station located in the heart of the city, considered to be the gateway into Northeast India. “A few months back we installed LED lights in the entire station which reduced power consumption by 100 kWh,” says Pranav Jyoti Sharma of by the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR). This was a part of the larger green initiative by the NFR to replace power consuming lights with more energy-efficient LED lights.

In April 2017, a 700 KWp solar power plant was set up on the roof of the station. Between April 12, 2017 and May 10, 2018 the plant has generated 7,96,669 KWh of power while the average output daily is about 2,048 KWh. Rs 67,71,687 worth of electricity has been saved because of the plant.

In April 2017, a 700 KWp solar power plant was set up on the roof of the Guwahati railway station. Photo Courtesy: NFR. In April 2017, a 700 KWp solar power plant was set up on the roof of the Guwahati railway station. Photo Courtesy: NFR.

The system is a not a standalone one but is grid connected — this is especially helpful during rainy days. “So whenever the generation is deficient, we draw from the grid and whenever there is surplus generation, we feed into the grid,” says Sharma.

The NFR is planning similar plants in Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.

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