Metro is eyeing a way of capturing wasted energy when its trains brake, saving fuel to benefit both the transit agency and the environment.
The transit system is asking its board to allow it to use a $300,000 Federal Transit Administration grant to find a way to capture and store some of the energy lost when trains slow down or stop.
Currently the power can be transferred when one train brakes and another train is accelerating next to it in the opposite direction, according to Metro. But the transit system has no way of capturing this energy and storing it for when trains aren’t passing each other.
With a special battery system on the side of tracks, the transit system could build up that energy and use it later, saving on energy costs and delay the need for power system upgrades. Such a system would be especially helpful now while trains are operating in manual mode and tracks undergo regular maintenance and speed restrictions.
The plan is in its infancy, as Metro has held discussions with manufacturers but not gotten bids yet. The project would be a pilot only, testing the feasibility of such systems in the subway.
