Very nice addition to local light rail.
Light rail on green track
Energy system up for test could save money and cut pollution.
By Merek Siu - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, July 23, 2007
Ask any superhero: It's not easy to stop a speeding train.
But when it does grind to a halt, energy resulting from normal braking is lost as heat, dispersed into the air around the city.
Regional Transit and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District plan to put this energy to use. They are planning to test soon a regenerative braking system for light rail's Folsom line.
Similar to the system in popular gas-electric hybrid vehicles, braking energy from the electric-powered trains will be captured and sent back into power lines to boost the acceleration of trains as they leave the station. The technology was developed by Sacramento-based Siemens Transportation Systems.
While modest savings of $25,000 a year are expected, this move toward green technology is in line with a vision for the region held by some politicians and businesses.
That vision was highlighted at a clean-energy forum in Sacramento last week.
