Methods of energy storage for railway systems

Project information

  • Acronym: RESS
  • Methods of energy storage for railway systems
  • Project director: Christian Chavanel
  • Project manager: Alain Scherrer
  • Status: ongoing project
  • Project code: 2020/RSF/669

Project description

It is needed to do a responsible use of the energy. The energy of the regenerative brakes is usually wasted in resistances, generating additional costs. This energy can be used to feed stations or to reinject to the grid. Reinjection means that the traction substations are adapted for this, which is not always possible. We focus on store the energy to use on demand in stations.
There are new ways of taking advantage of available energy. Electrical energy storage systems are mature technology already implemented in other fields, such as vehicles, energy distribution, industry.... It is the time to extend its use to railroad.
The current methods of electrical energy storage let us use this energy on demand. Saving energy and reducing the overall railroad system cost we can make the railroad more competitive.
Using this energy, we could get the ideal of self-powered stations, making the stations sustainable and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This is a new way of energy use in railroad and it brings new technologies in electrical energy storage to railway.

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Wednesday 1 January 2020