The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) unveiled its ground-breaking recycled energy and optimization project that captures the braking energy of its trains on the Market-Frankford Line and will integrate that power into the regional electric grid.
When SEPTA's trains brake at each stop to load and unload thousands of Pennsylvania passengers, the kinetic energy of the train is converted into electricity. But like many transit agencies across the country, without a method to capture that excess electricity, it could not be stored and used at a later time. Energy storage has proven to be a solution for capturing regenerative braking to provide supply savings. It has also been proven that energy storage can provide support to the electric grid through the frequency regulation market.
SEPTA will capture the regenerative braking energy of trains through a large-scale battery storage system and will deploy that energy as virtual power into PJM's wholesale power frequency regulation and energy markets.
"Through this pilot project, SEPTA will become even more energy efficient, which will help control operating costs — benefiting both customers and taxpayers. We've made our system cleaner, greener and more efficient in recent years — things like replacing traditional diesel buses with diesel-electric hybrids and installing energy-efficient lighting at stations, facilities and offices," said Joe Casey, GM at SEPTA. "These measures are helping us control costs in tough economic conditions — and making us a better neighbor in the communities we serve."
SEPTA launched the pilot project in partnership with Viridity Energy, a smart grid technology firm that specializes in electric market integration.
