Traction power supply system of China high-speed railway under low-carbon target: Form evolution and operation control

Abstract

To achieve the low-carbon target, China is actively promoting the railway energy transition. The traction power supply system, a crucial component of energy conversion of the high-speed railway, will have a significantly changing form and operation. The form evolution motivations and the operation control objectives of the high-speed railway traction power supply system are first examined. Then describes the characteristics of the form evolution of the high-speed railway traction power supply system and summarizes the existing and evolving forms of its “source-network-load-storage” each link. Second, several workable architectures of the novel high-speed railway traction power supply system are presented, and the advantages, challenges, and prospects of respective options are compared. The above architectures are chosen while considering the energy resource endowment and high-speed railway line distribution in China. Lastly, the pertinent technologies of its operation control are presented based on the operational characteristics of the novel high-speed railway traction power supply system. The proposed technologies facilitate the bidirectional interaction of energy, information, and business in the novel high-speed railway traction power supply system. The Chinese railway industry will be encouraged to reach its high-quality and sustainable development goal by seizing the opportunity presented by the evolution of the high-speed railway traction power supply system in energy supply-side cleaner, energy demand-side electrification, as well as operation control intelligent.