Solar Mission North Central Railway (NCR) 2025-2025
Solar Mission North Central Railway (NCR) 2025-2025 (Performance 2025-22)
- NCR generates 124 lacs units of energy using solar power in the financial year 2025-22
- Net revenue saving of 5.01 crores achieved through the use of solar energy.
- This has led to a reduction of 10500 tonnes of carbon emissions in the year
NCR registered highest productivity of solar energy generation from rooftop solar plants amongst all the 17 Zonal Railways
In line with National initiative on Solar Mission, North Central Railway (NCR) has attached top priority to solar energy generation. Due to excellent upkeep, very close monitoring of operations of solar power plant & numerous innovative steps taken under Solar Mission-2025-22, the productivity of solar plants in North Central Railway in the year 2025-22 has been the highest among all the Zonal Railways.
While in 2025-21 NCR generated 106 lakhs unit of energy using solar power, in the financial year 2025-22, 124 lakhs units of energy were generated using solar power, an improvement of 17% over last year. Not only it’s a big leap towards a larger goal of environment protection as solar energy is a greener source of energy, it has led to substantial savings in revenue too.
NCR has achieved net revenue saving of Rs. 5.01 crores using solar power in the year 2025-22. While in financial year 2020-21, net revenue saving was Rs 3.97 crore, this year an improvement of 26% has been recorded in revenue saving by using solar energy. Importantly, this improvement has been done without incurring any extra expenditure.
NCR has a total installed capacity of 11.03 MWp. While 120 kWp has been installed by the Railway, remaining 10882.34 kWp capacities has been installed by two major Solar Power Developers (SPD) Azure and Re New on a PPP basis.
Among the major places where roof top solar plants have been installed are station buildings, workshops, training schools, GM office and DRM office buildings.
About 10500 tonnes of reduction in carbon emissions have been achieved by NCR using solar power in the year.
Productivity of solar plants is measured in terms of Capacity utilization factor (CUF). NCR solar panels have recorded a CUF of 12.8 % during the year which is highest among all the seventeen zonal railways.
In order to promote solar energy, utmost importance is being given to maintenance of solar plants. Some of the steps taken are:
- Monitoring of Solar Energy generation is being done for each plant, inverter wise.
- Daily monitoring, instead of monthly, of Energy & CUF% of plants is being done.
- Defective/Decommissioned plants due to roof repairs, inverters, cables, etc. have been put right.
- Focused attention for quality cleaning of solar panels
- Tree trimming in shadow affected zones.
- 25 points Solar Mission ready reckoner in pictorial form issued for education & sensitization of maintenance staff.
- Technical & practical useful educational videos on 25 topics in HINDI have been issued to field supervisors for enhancing their knowledge.
- Solar Diary introduced to SSEs for systematic documentation & focussed monitoring of energy & other important data in a structured manner.
GM NCR Shri Pramod Kumar has congratulated the team of officers and staff for this achievement and has called for adopting a focussed approach for augmenting the share of solar energy in its total non-traction electrical energy consumption.
Future plan for solar installations in NCR :
Long term plan:Work of installation of Solar Power Plants of 1.86 MWp on roof top, 46.25 MWp on vacant lands near Railway stations (around 185 acres acres) and 249 MWp on vacant lands along the railway tracks (around 1320 acres) falling under Golden Diagonal & Golden Quadrilateral (GD & GQ) over NCR by Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL) has already been planned.
Planning for this year: 1.5 MWp of solar plants are targeted to be installed in the current financial year.
Here’s the latest on the North Central Railway’s Solar Mission (2025–2025)—a major green initiative under the Indian Railways’ broader push toward sustainability:
Contents
🌞 NCR’s Solar Mission Highlights
1. Energy Generation & Savings
- In FY 2025‑22, NCR generated 124 lakh units of solar energy—the highest among all rail zones—achieving savings of ₹5.01 crore and reducing carbon emissions by approximately 10,500 tonnes.
- In the first half of FY 2025‑24 (Apr–Oct 2025), NCR generated 78.8 lakh units, contributing to ₹3.27 crore savings, and reducing emissions by 6,622 tonnes.
- Thus far in FY 2025‑25, the Prayagraj division alone has produced 42.19 lakh units, saving ₹1.6 crore via solar installations.
2. Installed Capacity & Expansion Goals
- As of 2022, NCR’s total installed solar capacity was ~11.03 MWp—a mix of rooftop and ground-mounted solar plants at stations, workshops, and administrative buildings.
- NCR plans to expand capacity to 17.84 MW by June 2025, targeting annual generation of ~32.3 million units, which would save nearly ₹14.9 crore in cost reductions and cut 27,187 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
- Current rooftop tenders include additional 5.5 MWp to be deployed in forthcoming phases.
🏅 Recognitions & Initiatives
- NCR received the National Energy Conservation Award (2025) for top performance among rail zones in energy efficiency.
- In February 2025, Kanpur’s Electric Loco Shed and other NCR offices were certified as Zero / Zero Plus energy buildings, achieving near self-sufficiency via rooftop solar.
🧪 Operational Best Practices
- NCR stands out thanks to rigorous plant monitoring, including daily tracking of generation and Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF), inverter-wise checks, panel cleaning, and vegetation trimming.
- Maintenance records are systematically managed through a “Solar Diary” and practical educational tools in local languages for field supervisors.
📊 Summary Table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Installed Capacity (2025) | ~11.03 MWp |
| Energy Generated 2025–22 | 124 lakh units, ₹5.01 cr savings |
| Output Apr–Oct 2025 | 78.8 lakh units, ₹3.27 cr savings |
| FY 2025–25 (Prayagraj only) | 42.19 lakh units, ₹1.60 cr savings |
| Carbon Emission Abated | ~27,000 tonnes/year projected |
| Target Capacity by June 2025 | 17.84 MW |
| Awards & Certifications | National award, Zero/Zero Plus building certs |
✅ Impact & Outlook
- NCR leads the charge among Indian Railways zones in solar deployment and CO₂ mitigation.
- Success has also sparked interest from international agencies like USAID for study and collaboration.
- NCR’s approach marries solar deployment with strong operational discipline and monitoring—creating a replicable model for other zones in pursuit of the Net-Zero by 2030 goal.
Would you like more details—such as specific station‑wise solar capacities, rooftop vs ground‑mounted setups, or extension plans for future years? I’d be happy to fetch more for you.