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  • IIT Madras Will Power AC Coaches In Indian Railways With Solar Energy

    Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator

    Updated: Oct 23, 2024
    Views: 1.1K
    Indian Railways will soon have the AC coaches powered by solar energy. The Integral Coach Factory at Chennai has joined hands with IIT Madras to design coaches that will use solar energy to power the air conditioning systems. In addition, the solar energy will be used to power the lighting inside the coaches. This would be the first project of its kind that Indian Railways is undertaking to tap solar energy.

    Indian-Railway​

    Indian Railways, world's largest railway system, is looking to tap alternative, cleaner sources of energy to reduce its overall dependence on fossil fuels and the power grid. Indian Railways is looking at massive scaling of AC coaches in the coming future, which would result into increased spending on the fuels unless other mechanisms are developed power them.

    A senior ICF official has said that they've asked IIT Madras to find out various ways to tap the solar power and use it for interior lighting and cooling. An MoU has been signed about a month ago and preliminary discussions have started with professors to develop a feasible model.

    No information is available yet on how long will this project take. We'd like to ask our fellow engineers for their opinion on this project and what'd be the ways to make this possible? How do you propose to tap the solar energy for use in railways?
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  • Anil Jain

    Member • Aug 4, 2013

    Seems to be a very nice initiative and thought. I am just wondering when we are going solar in each and every way, why the hell someone thought about this till date.
    Anyways, better now then never.

    Also, just a weird idea, is it possible to generate, save and use the energy using motion and breaking as well?

    -CB
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator • Aug 4, 2013

    Well, each idea has its own time and then there are red-tapes each idea has to come over. I'm thinking each and every coach of all the trails should be covered with Solar Powered Panels. I'm sure they'd provide for enough energy to power the fans and the lights inside the train. I propose the regular light bulbs inside the train should be replaced by LEDs.

    By the way, Refrigeration and Airconditioning Laboratory at the Department Of Mechanical Engineering seems to be on the loose. Just a few days ago, they did a -200 degree Centigrate refridgerator: #-Link-Snipped-#
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Aug 5, 2013

    IIT M was a German aided unit. Siemens of Germany offered to start some work there on solar power in 1962 or 63. Good incubation period.
    Would the area available on the surface of a coach be enough to power the AC for that coach. Lights and fans, certainly. Crime to use tungsten bulbs anyway.
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  • zaveri

    Member • Aug 5, 2013

    Why always IIT Madras ? why dont the other 1001 colleges in Chennai ever get a chance to do such big projects ?
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator • Aug 5, 2013

    zaveri
    Why always IIT Madras ? why dont the other 1001 colleges in Chennai ever get a chance to do such big projects ?
    Brand power, my friend 😀 . Plus IIT Madras arguably is one of the better colleges in TN, I think.
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  • Jeffrey Arulraj

    Member • Aug 5, 2013

    zaveri
    Why always IIT Madras ? why dont the other 1001 colleges in Chennai ever get a chance to do such big projects ?
    Well how many colleges are having funds to maintain their college infrastructure then let alone R&D projects 😯
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  • Anil Jain

    Member • Aug 5, 2013

    Kaustubh Katdare
    Brand power, my friend 😀 . Plus IIT Madras arguably is one of the better colleges in TN, I think.

    Not sure in last couple of weeks, we have concentrated more on IIT madras (or other TN colleges) or recently something happened and they are growing like anytihing 😀

    -CB
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  • zaveri

    Member • Aug 5, 2013

    Conqueror
    Well how many colleges are having funds to maintain their college infrastructure then let alone R&D projects 😯
    Kaustubh Katdare
    Brand power, my friend 😀 . Plus IIT Madras arguably is one of the better colleges in TN, I think.

    I can agree at the point of quality and infrastructure. but brand power ? i don't think so.
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator • Aug 5, 2013

    zaveri
    I can agree at the point of quality and infrastructure. but brand power ? i don't think so.
    I wonder we've current IIT staff reading this discussion. We'd love to have your responses here 😀 .

    Maybe it's more prestigious for the government institutions to tie up with IITs. The more logical solution is that IITs have access to the equipment they'd need for this project.
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  • Sarathkumar Chandrasekaran

    Member • Aug 5, 2013

    Yes IIT madras has the best lab equipments out there to do R&D so that they can promise to bring out a solution for this power related problems.
    We must be happy that atleast IIT got a chance to hit the project rather than a private concern.We must stop on debating on colleges on this topic.
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  • Jeffrey Arulraj

    Member • Aug 6, 2013

    Kaustubh Katdare
    Maybe it's more prestigious for the government institutions to tie up with IITs. The more logical solution is that IITs have access to the equipment they'd need for this project.
    This is true Open door to IIT's and when people from our college asked for In plant training We were refused Though my college is in the top 5 colleges under anna University in terms of academic performance.
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  • D.vivek

    Member • Aug 9, 2013

    that's power of iit's
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  • Nayan Goenka

    Member • Aug 10, 2013

    Do you think it will deliver same performance like electric coaches in matters of ACs. I dont know much about solar to electricity working but i think it is pretty much weaker performance.
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  • Jeffrey Arulraj

    Member • Aug 10, 2013

    Solar power will be used to charge batteries that will be used to run the AC's Solely AC's can't be run on solar power
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