Multipurpose Optimization Method for Energy Storage System Specification Using Measurement Data of DC Traction Substations

Abstract

The peak demand for railway power occurs when trains operate at full capacity, which calls for the need of facilities that can handle such peaks. These expansive railway power facilities, which cover vast areas, result in increased maintenance and management costs while affecting the power supply to traction substations (TSs). Herein, we investigated the load leveling of TSs using energy storage systems (ESSs). Most of the studies that have been conducted on the use of ESSs in electric railways have focused on high‐speed railways and urban lines. The application of ESSs to local lines is expected to be highly effective in reducing the capacity of power facilities using the load leveling of TSs. However, the introduction of ESSs to such local lines has not yet been discussed in detail. Hence, we focused on the relationship between ESS specifications (battery capacity, kWh) and load peak reduction (kW) and proposed a method to determine the ESS specifications by simultaneous optimization using linear programming. Numerical calculations were performed based on measured data from a real line, and the proposed method was verified in terms of battery capacity, load peak reduction, and ESS operation ratio. The numerical results indicate that the maximum load of the TS can be reduced by 98.7% and 91.1% using 380 kWh and 65.42 kWh ESS, respectively, considering its cooling time. This highlights the potential of Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) to balance TS (Time‐of‐Use) loads and consequently reduce power facility requirements. © 2024 The Authors. IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.