The Hindu : New Delhi News : Yet another first for ‘green’ Delhi Metro

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Yet another first for ‘green’ Delhi Metro

Staff Reporter

First railway to be registered by the UN under clean development mechanism

This will make it possible for the Metro to claim carbon credit points
It translates to a saving of Rs 1.2 crore per year for 10 years for the DMRC

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which has to its credit many firsts, has added yet another to the long list. It has become the first railway project in the world to be registered by the United Nations under the clean development mechanism which will make it possible for the Metro to claim carbon credits.

By registering with the United Nations under the project, DMRC will earn certified emission reductions (CER) for the use of regenerative braking system in its rolling stock.

“There are several trains of Indian Railways that use converter-inverters, but they have not registered with the United Nations so far. Therefore, DMRC has become the first ever railway system to register and claim carbon credits,” said Anuj Dayal, Chief Public Relations Officer of DMRC, on Friday.

According to Mr. Dayal, this is the first time in the world that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has registered a project based on regenerative braking.

“This is also the first Japan Bank for International Cooperation-funded ODA loan project in the mass rapid transit sector to be able to claim carbon credits,” he added.

Power supplied back

DMRC officials explained that under the regenerative braking system, whenever a train applies brakes, the kinetic energy released starts a machine known as converter-inverter. Then this machine acts as an electricity generator, which supplies electrical energy back to the over head electricity lines. The regenerated electrical energy that is supplied back to the over head electricity is used by other accelerating trains on the same service line, thus saving overall energy in the system as about 30 per cent electricity requirement is reduced.

“DMRC can now claim 400,000 CERs for a 10-year crediting period beginning December 2007 when the project was registered by the UNFCCC. This translates to Rs 1.2 crore per year for 10 years,” said Mr. Dayal.

Best practices

“At DMRC, energy conservation and efficiency by adopting best practices are encouraged. Keeping in mind the huge loan that we have to repay, efforts are made to conserve wherever and whenever we can.”

The money from sale of CERs will be used to offset additional investment and operation costs incurred in implementing the project activity, to stimulate research and development to reduce emission of green house gases and to give extensive training to train operators for optimum regeneration.

DMRC is also working on a project to claim carbon credits for modal shift of commuters from buses/cars to the metro railway as tail-end emissions of such vehicles contribute to global warming. It has also made arrangements to harvest rainwater at all stations in Phase II and on Line 3 of Phase I.

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