Energy Harvesting for the Electrification of Railway Stations: Getting a charge from the regenerative braking of trains

N Enormous amount of energy is generated by railway cars when applying regenerative braking in train stations. This article discusses the methods for absorbing, storing, and using the energy produced by regenerative braking. Two methods are proposed: 1) regenerative energy is fed back to the distribution grid for supplying stationary loads at train stations and 2) regenerative energy is used to charge railway car-mounted storage containers, which can also supply stationary loads or be transported elsewhere for supplying remote loads. The working principles and topological structures of the two methods are introduced. In addition, main circuits and corresponding control systems are simulated, and analyses are conducted to validate the proposed methods for train stations in China.