London tube stations powered by recycled energy

London tube stations could keep their lights using recycled energy from train brakes. A new technology which collects waste energy from tube train brakes to power stations has been successfully […]

London tube stations could keep their lights using recycled energy from train brakes.

A new technology which collects waste energy from tube train brakes to power stations has been successfully tested for five weeks at Victoria Station.

According to Transport for London (TfL), 1MWh of energy can be captured per day, enough to power 104 homes per year.

The ‘inverter’ system recovered enough power to run a station as large as Holborn for more than two days per week.

This recycled energy could help London Underground (LU) reduce its carbon emissions and save up to £6 million per year for reinvestment in improving transport infrastructure.

The technology would also decrease the amount of heat the train brakes generated in tunnels and reduce the energy required to operate LU’s cooling systems.

Chris Tong, LU’s Head of Power and Cooling said: “This state-of-the-art regenerative braking system has the potential to transform how we power stations across the TfL network, unlocking massive power savings and significantly reducing our energy bills. We are committed to doing more to reduce our energy use and this technology – a world first for metro railways – is one of a number of innovations we’re embracing to lower our environmental impact.”

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