WR presses ‘save’ button during power crisis

In the days when the state is facing a power crisis, Western Railway (WR) has managed to save more than 500 lakh units of power from the national power grid in one year, saving about Rs 25.57 crore, reports Rajendra Aklekar.

In the days when the state is facing a power crisis, Western Railway (WR) has managed to save more than 500 lakh units of power from the national power grid in one year, saving about Rs 25.57 crore.

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WR achieved this by changing over to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and switching off 70 per cent of lights when there’s no train at the station. While tubelights consume 40 watts power, CFLs consume between 10 to 20 watts.

Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has presented the Railways the national energy conservation award 2009. The huge amount of saved power can be put to various other uses.

WR has been able to able to save 440 lakh units of power worth Rs. 25.57 crore by taking innovative initiatives as energy saving measures.

The new-age trains’ braking technology has also helped significantly in this.

Besides this, it has also been able to save 113.45 lakh units separately by using CFL lamps and by the provision of energy efficient fittings. It was also ensured to switch off the air conditioners after booking hours in reservation offices. One of the most important measures has been adopting 30 per cent and 70 per cent lighting arrangement at all its 719 electrified stations.

Under this arrangement, only 30 per cent of the total lighting remains in use when there is no train on the platform. The remaining 70 per cent lights are put on only for the period when the train is at the platform.