Flywheel Energy Storage for Innovative Railway Construction

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This project will explore the possibility of capturing the energy from electric train braking, which is wasted when there is no other train or power load on the line to capture it. The energy will be stored in the flywheel storage system, trackside. The electrical traction systems used by the majority of railway lines are among the most efficient on the market. A significant factor contributing to the efficiency is the availability of regenerative braking systems. When called upon, the traction motor works in reverse and acts as a generator and converts kinetic energy back to electrical energy. As UK traction systems exist currently, the DC energy produced during regenerative braking can be transferred to power another train's acceleration if there are two trains in close proximity, for example at a station. However even with careful timetable planning, it is common to lose a significant portion of regenerative braking energy due to lack of simultaneous acceleration load. The losses are more pronounced during times with less frequent arrivals and departures such as off-peak and weekends. Our proposed project will seek to address known engineering and efficiency challenges of the combined operations of the railway network, traction and station by integrating flywheel storage technology to capture otherwise wasted energy from regenerative breaking.We will be using an existing technology, the flywheel, to capture and store energy from the trains and aim to demonstrate the proposed use of the flywheel storage system as trackside energy storage for DC systems.Our project will specifically address the following elements of the GCRE challenge:The capture and storage of otherwise wasted energy generated through regenerative breaking using a new generation innovative flywheel energy storage system therefore lowering the carbon footprint of the rail networkImprove energy efficiency across the key components of the railway system: stations, track operations and traction therefore lowering power consumption which will contributing towards a net zero rail network and a lower carbon footprint.Reduce construction costs as lower power rated cables could be used as the peak demand is smoothed.Improve the resilience and safety of the network as stored power could mitigate power outages. Using the flywheel storage system offer a flexible interaction with the green energy supply on site to smooth peak electrical demand, offering a commercial benefit as well as a wider societal benefit.