22 June 2017: Electric trains are among the forms of public transport with the lowest emissions, and their emissions can be reduced even further if some or all the electricity powering the trains and their auxiliaries is generated from renewable sources. Recent announcements from India and Chile show that developments in this direction are underway.

Metro de Santiago, a public transport company used by 2.2 million citizens of Chile’s capital every day, recently entered into a contract with the company Total/SunPower to purchase 300 gigawatt hours of solar energy per year to run its metro system. The energy will be provided by a 100-MW solar plant currently under construction in Chile’s northern Atacama Desert and cover approximately 42% of the company’s electricity demand. Another 18% will be delivered by an existing wind farm close to the solar plant’s location. With 60% of its energy demand supplied from renewable energy sources, Metro de Santiago will be the world’s first metro to run mostly on solar energy. [Climate Action News Story] [SunPower Press Release]

Indian Railways announced that it will equip 250 trains with solar panels and batteries to power auxiliary systems such as air conditioning, lights and fans. The trains will primarily run on non-electrified tracks, where the load reduction from solar energy can lead to a meaningful reduction in diesel use and related emissions. The project complements ongoing efforts by Indian Railways to source electricity from renewable sources and to become a major producer of solar power through the installation of rooftop solar systems on the company’s more than 7000 railway stations.[Climate Action News Story 22 June 2017] [Climate Action News Story 22 February 2017]