A strategy for utilization of regenerative energy in urban railway system by application of smart train scheduling and wayside energy storage system

Abstract

Nowadays, electric railway system is known as an efficient and environmentally friendly solution for transportation system. Many developing countries have been expanding their railway systems to support the growth of transport demand. Even though railway system can utilize energy efficiently, its operation still requires bulk of energy. Therefore, management of multiple energy sources is an important issue for railway planning and operation. The advent of modern railway technologies provides regenerative braking system which can recover considerable energy from brake operation. Management of regenerative energy becomes a key for enhancing railway operation. This paper presents a strategy for utilizing regenerative energy in urban railway system by adjusting train operating schedule and employing wayside energy storage system. Optimizing train schedule aims to increase the degree of regenerative energy usage and applying super capacitor as temporary energy storage will manage the surplus of regenerative energy. By integrating appropriate train scheduling and energy storage system, energy management can be more flexible and effective leading to improvement of energy-saving operation. The numerical case study of Bangkok Rapid Transit System was performed and evaluated to reflect the improvement of utilizing regenerative energy.