26/08/2025
Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) in Varanasi, India, commissioned the country’s first removable solar panel system installed between railway tracks on August 15, 2025. This pilot project, developed indigenously, covers a 70-meter section of track with 28 bifacial mono PERC solar panels, producing 15 kWp and generating approximately 67 units of electricity daily. The panels are secured using rubber pads and epoxy adhesive to withstand train vibrations and can be easily removed with four stainless steel bolts for track maintenance. The system achieves a power density of 220 kWp per kilometer and an energy density of 880 units per kilometer per day. If scaled across Indian Railways’ 120,000 km network, particularly in yard lines, it could generate up to 3.21 lakh units per kilometer annually without requiring additional land. The design accounts for local challenges like heat, dust, and monsoons, and includes features like anti-reflective coatings to address glare concerns. This initiative aligns with Indian Railways’ broader goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, which includes solar-powered stations and plans for solar plants on 51,000 hectares of railway land to produce 20 GW.
