Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential of Solar Photovoltaic Assisted Mumbai Metro

Mumbai metro line 1 (Ghatkopar-Versova) was implemented in 2014 to provide a superior network between suburban parts of Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR). Besides connectivity, it was aimed at reducing the traffic congestion and mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHG), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulate matter (PM) were the focal points behind implementation of metro. The study estimates curtailment in CO2 emission due to modal shift of commuters to metro from public/private transport modes and rooftop solar photovoltaic (SPV) plants commissioned on each station & a car shed. Analysis shows modal shift and rooftop SPV plants resulted in chopping of 58.73 ton of CO2 emission per day but since operation of metro rail emits 75.6 ton CO2 emission per day, it is yet to achieve mitigation in greenhouse gases (GHG). However, it is identified that in the near future increase in ridership can achieve significant reduction.