JR East power saving measures

[bikkuri bahn]

Somewhat related to the discussion miyakoji started recently.  I post almost (~80%) the whole article text here (something I normally wouldn't do, but Japanese newspapers don't archive their articles, so it'll be gone within a week or so- moderators, feel free to truncate the post if in violation of guidelines):

 

JR East to start broad power-saving measures / Electricity generated by 'regenerative braking' to be stored in batteries, fed to nearby trains

The Yomiuri Shimbun

 

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) will implement full-fledged measures to reduce electricity consumption ahead of an expected power shortfall this summer, with other railway companies making similar power-saving efforts.

 

JR East plans to employ such technologies as storing regenerative power produced when trains brake and solar power to minimize consumption of conventional power.

 

Using its advanced ICT (information-communication technologies) system, the railway company also plans to make more economical use of solar power, promoting its reputation for being eco-friendly.

 

When a driver applies the brakes to a train, electricity supply to the motors is cut. However, the motors continue rotating with the wheels, producing regenerative power that can be fed back into nearby trains via power cables.

 

Since the years of the Japanese National Railways, this system has been used on heavy traffic routes, such as the Yamanote Line. Currently about 88 percent of JR trains are equipped with the system.

 

However, regenerative power can only be used when other trains are running on rails served by the same power substations, not on routes in remote areas with fewer trains.

 

Using the system, JR East plans to store regenerated power in batteries, then use it to power accelerating trains running on sections covered by the same substations or trains passing through the sections again.

 

This month, JR East will install nickel hydride batteries in some power substations serving the Ome Line, in western Tokyo, on a trial basis.

 

Later this year, it will install lithium-ion batteries with higher storage capacities in another power substation.

 

In the case of the Ome Line, JR East expects such measures to reduce electricity consumption by about 5 percent a year.

 

Also, utilizing the ICT system to analyze and adjust electricity flows, power substations that use alternating current will be able to efficiently transmit and receive regenerative power.

 

JR East plans to develop the system and introduce it on parts of the Joban Line at the end of next fiscal year. It expects the measure will reduce electricity consumption by 6 percent to 8 percent a year.

 

The system also can be used to manage solar power. JR East stations use electricity generated by solar panels for lighting and other purposes. However, during peak hours on sunny days, surplus power goes unused.

 

JR East said the ICT system can manage electricity flows so that this surplus power can be transferred to other stations. It plans to start testing such measures as early as October.

 

Combining the ICT system with power storage technologies, JR East will conduct a trial to supply all electricity day and night with solar-generated power at Hiraizumi Station on the Tohoku Line in Iwate Prefecture.

 

As a power shortage is expected this summer, JR companies in western Japan are considering reducing the number of trains in service or switching to diesel trains if utility companies introduce power consumption cuts.

 

To minimize electricity consumption, JR East plans to turn off some lights in trains and stations, and stop using some ticket vending machines.

 

However, the tight power supply-and-demand situation could continue into next year and beyond.

 

JR East is the nation's only railway company with its own power generation facility. Its four power plants provided 57 percent of the electricity consumed by the company in fiscal 2010.

 

Still, for railway companies, which consume massive volumes of electricity, the development of energy-saving technologies is an urgent task.

 

JR East President Tetsuro Tomita said: "Though railways are said to be environmentally friendly, we cannot rest on our laurels. We'll introduce new measures as soon as possible and make great achievements for the future."

 

(May. 21, 2012)

 

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120520002855.htm

[Guest ___]

I do not think it is a problem or anything with the entire article posted.

 

Solar is an interesting idea to use simply because the angle of most platform roof being sloped. (I still have a small array from my days as a tech writer at bp solar) Only one side at a time would collect power, but at least it could collect all day long.

 

Sadly the efficiency is still roughly 20% +/-2 EY even using mono-polycrystalline solar cells. (mono-polies are a hybrid designed to combine the lower manufacturing costs of a poly cell with the higher power yield of a mono, and look absolutely wild)