A pilot project in Philadelphia will soon begin harvesting energy from braking trains and trolleys to feed electricity into the power grid.
Viridity Energy, a Philadelphia-based smart grid company, has received a $900,000 grant for the project with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
As part of the project, Viridity will deploy its software optimization system to allow SEPTA to recycle the energy created from the regenerative braking ability of trains and trolleys at a high-use propulsion substation in Philadelphia.
The State of Pennsylvania awarded the funding through the 2010 Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) grant program.
The project will pair the latest 21st century technologies and energy optimization practices with one of the country’s oldest transportation systems, dating back to the deployment of electric trolleys in 1892. Mass transit systems across the country are striving to maintain high quality service while facing growing fiscal challenges which are further compounded by rising energy costs. The pilot represents a large and untapped potential for transit systems to help meet these challenges and at the same time improve grid reliability in highly populated urban neighborhoods.
The project calls for Viridity Energy and SEPTA to install a large-scale battery to capture the energy from regenerative braking of trains along a portion of the Market-Frankford Line, the highest ridership line in SEPTA’s system.
The project is expected to result in numerous economic, operational and environmental benefits. SEPTA will capture and use power that would be otherwise wasted while reducing its electricity consumption. In addition to using less electricity and reducing operating costs, the project will generate revenues through participation in wholesale power markets.
The stored energy will help balance electric generation and electric
load on the PJM interconnection system while assisting PECO Energy
Company in preserving the reliability of its electric distribution
system.
Also, by reducing its use of electricity generated on the grid, the project will help SEPTA decrease its carbon emissions by 1,258 tons per year.
As part of the pilot project, SEPTA expects to generate approximately $500,000 in economic value for the agency. A successful pilot could lead to potential deployment at all 38 SEPTA substations. It is estimated that this expansion could translate into significant savings from SEPTA’s current electricity spend.
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