- By Kamakshi Bishnoi
- Mon, 28 Apr 2025 02:56 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Raebareli, UP, is equally focused on energy and environmental conservation as it is on manufacturing railway coaches and wheels. To reduce electricity consumption and promote solar energy, the factory has been installing rooftop solar panels on its buildings.
So far, approximately 4 megawatts of solar panels have been installed, resulting in annual savings of Rs 2.38 crore on electricity bills. The first 2-megawatt solar panel was installed in 2014 for power backup.
Further installations followed in 2017 (1 megawatt), 2023 (130 kilowatts), 2024 (635 kilowatts), and recently, another 315 kilowatts. These panels are located on various buildings, including the administrative building, hospital, technical training center, general manager's office, and quality testing lab.
In the administrative building alone, daily electricity consumption is expected to decrease from 4000 units to 1500 units on average. This initiative not only saves railway revenue but also reduces the factory's carbon footprint.
According to Public Relations Officer Anil Srivastava, the solar panels are saving about a quarter of the total electricity consumption. The factory plans to further increase its solar energy capacity to 17 megawatts in the future.