Stationary Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for Railway Electrification: A Review

Abstract

This article provides an overview of modern technologies and implemented projects in the field of renewable energy systems for the electrification of railway transport. In the first part, the relevance of the use of renewable energy on the railways is discussed. Various types of power-generating systems in railway stations and platforms along the track, as well as in separate areas, are considered. The focus is on wind and solar energy conversion systems. The second part is devoted to the analysis of various types of energy storage devices used in projects for the electrification of railway transport since the energy storage system is one of the key elements in a hybrid renewable energy system. Systems with kinetic storage, electrochemical storage batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen energy storage are considered. Particular attention is paid to technologies for accumulating and converting hydrogen into electrical energy, as well as hybrid systems that combine several types of storage devices with different ranges of charge/discharge rates. A comparative analysis of various hybrid electric power plant configurations, depending on the functions they perform in the electrification systems of railway transport, has been carried out.