Railway transport, either freight or passenger, is the transport mode that generates the lowest level of carbon dioxide emissions. It is no news that major rolling stock manufacturers have invested a lot in research in the last years, especially since the new European regulations on environment protection have become effective. And, it was also obvious that countries will join their forces in supporting the so-called “green projects”, having clear goals in reducing energy consumption.
A relevant example is the ECORailS projects, “Energy efficiency and environmental criteria in the awarding of regional rail transport vehicles and services”. The set target of this project is the development of a decision support for Public Transport Administrations (PTA’s) issuing energy efficient and environmental friendly awarding. ECORailS consists of ten political or research organisations/institutions and 4 PTA’s from six countries (Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania and Sweden). One of ECORailS’ objectives is a 15% more energy efficient rail passenger transport system by 2020. Initiated two years ago, the project will be finalized in June 2011 and will promote, among others, a special guide for the European legislation on the procurement of railway services and vehicles at regional level in the European Union member states. More precisely, the information included in the document can apply to rolling stock procurement methods, including criteria for evaluating energy consumption.
New eco-friendly concepts
Leaving the theory behind and analyzing the practices promoted by major market players, mostly during railway fairs, it is interesting to take the example of the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. “During the InnoTrans trade fair 2010, we have launched three new solutions, which, mostly, concern energy recovery. For example, the EcoSilent Optimised Sound Design, using acoustic design to make railway one of the most silent means of transport”, declared for Railway Pro specialists from Bombardier. At the same time, they say, Bombardier’s energy storage system EnerGstor uses a high-performance ultracapacitor to capture and store the energy recovered from braking, which will otherwise be wasted, and send it back to the system, when near-by trains need energy. And last but not least, Bombardier’s EcoEfficient Optimized Environmental Performance is a solution which analyzes the impact products have on the environment during their entire lifecycle, the recovery ratio being of up to 90%. “Other solutions of the ECO 4 portfolio for saving energy include the AeroEfficient Optimized Train Shaping – a body optimised to minimise the friction effect. The aerodynamic optimisation reduces the energy consumption by reducing the air resistance by 20%”, Bombardier’s representatives said. Consequently, trains use less energy in traction. The
technology reduces the energy consumed by regional trains by up to 8% and by high-speed trains by up to 15%. It is also worth mentioning the ThermoEfficient Climatization System –a system capable to reduce energy consumption by up to 38% , MITRAC Permanent Magnet Motor – 2% less energy consumed in traction and FLEXX ECO Bogie, a system for shuttle, long-distance trains and high-speed trains which helps reduce energy consumption and noise.
Regenerative energy trams
On the other hand, last year, Bombardier announced it planned to manufacture trams with regenerative energy systems in Heidelberg, Germany. We are talking about the first vehicles in the world equipped with the Mitrac Bombardier Energy Saver, the specific system for regenerative energy.
The system helps save up to 30% more energy and it is catenary-free. These trams recover the energy during deceleration and then use it during acceleration and operation. Another advantage of Bombardier’s system is catenary-free operation on sections. How efficient will these new technologies be? Time will give us an answer that will, perhaps, encourage other manufacturers to innovate their products.
by Ionela Micu
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