Apr 24, 2016
An innovative program to save energy and produce revenue by capturing the power generated by rapid transit trains as they brake has earned SEPTA the state’s highest honor for commitment to the environment.
At yesterday’s SEPTA board meeting, the state Department of Environmental Protection bestowed the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence t0 the agency for its wayside energy storage project at the Griscom substation on the Market-Frankford Line. The Griscom storage facility was the second such battery installation on the line; the success of this facility and an earlier one at Letterly substation led SEPTA to expand the program systemwide and add a revenue-producing power management component to it in partnership with Viridity Energy, which sells excess storage capacity to the PJM Interconnection power pool when needed.
Jan 21, 2016
PHILADELPHIA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A battery storage network, which captures and reuses the energy created by braking subway cars, will help Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) reduce operating costs, ensure energy resiliency, and support the stability of the electrical grid.
“Our ground-breaking regenerative braking pilot at SEPTA proved that energy storage can be used by transit systems to create substantial cost savings, generate revenue, and contribute to sustainability goals”
Constellation, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, will fund, own, and operate the 8.75-megawatt battery storage network, deployed at seven SEPTA substations. The network is designed to use stored energy to power trains as they accelerate from stations and can provide emergency generation for trains in the event of a power outage. An expansion of SEPTA’s 1.8 MW battery storage pilot program completed in 2014, the new network brings the agency’s total battery storage capacity to more than 10 MW.
“SEPTA’s Sustainability Program is all about finding and deploying cutting-edge innovations to reduce costs in addition to improving environmental performance. This project is right in that sustainability sweet spot, and we are pleased to partner with Constellation and Viridity in bringing it to market right here in the Philadelphia region, an emerging hub for innovative energy projects,” said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel.
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