Deutsche Bahn (DB) has equipped the Leipzig ICE depot with a so-called Second Life battery storage system combined with a photovoltaic (PV) system.
The innovative storage system consists of 30 used battery modules from a total of eight electric cars. With the battery storage system and the PV system, which has a capacity of up to 250 kilowatts, around a quarter of the depot’s electricity demand can be met. This allows DB to save approximately EUR 85,000 annually in energy costs at the Leipzig site. Economical and innovative maintenance is a key component of DB’s refurbishment programme S3. To ensure that DB’s rail operating companies meet their profitability targets, they must be able to reliably maintain and repair their trains under competitive conditions.
The photovoltaic (PV) system, with a total capacity of around 291 kilowatt-peak (kWp), was installed across three sections of the depot’s buildings. The battery storage system communicates with the PV system and continuously monitors the depot’s electricity demand. When demand rises, the storage discharges, thereby reducing so-called peak loads – those periods when the depot’s operations require a lot of power and incur particularly high costs. Peak loads occur, for example, when trains are supplied with electricity for testing purposes not via the overhead lines but through the public grid. When the battery storage is fully charged and the PV system produces more electricity than can be consumed, the surplus energy is fed back into the public power grid.
The Second Life battery storage system was developed by encore | DB, an in-house startup belonging to the DB Bahnbau Group. The battery modules had been used in electric cars for around five to seven years until they no longer provided sufficient performance for further use in mobile applications. However, they still offer adequate capacity for use in battery storage systems. Each module is initially tested for functionality and then reassembled. Second Life battery storage systems can store energy from solar, wind, or hydropower and can be in service for many years depending on usage. As the depot’s electricity demand increases, the storage system can potentially be expanded.
After the long-distance depot in Leipzig, DB plans next to equip the Kassel depot of DB Vehicle Maintenance with a battery storage system. Additionally, DB is considering further applications of battery storage across its depots and facilities. Within the DB’s refurbishment programme S3, maintenance plays an important role in ensuring the quality, reliability, and timely availability of trains. The Leipzig ICE depot primarily services and maintains ICE T and Intercity 2 trains.
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