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But while the metro is one of the most sustainable modes of public transportation, it still requires enormous amounts of energy. As India continues to implement its ambitious climate commitments, the goal ahead is to make its developing cities more reliable. and energy-efficient: that’s no small feat.
India continues to enjoy immediate urbanization on a very giant scale. It is estimated that about one-third (35%) of India’s total population now lives in cities, up from just 18% in 1960. As more and more Indians leave rural spaces to locate cadres and earn a living in cities, by 2035, this figure is estimated at 43. 2%.
This inherently creates many demanding situations for Indian cities. Primarily, it places greater emphasis on the role of its transport systems in supporting connectivity, trade and economic growth.
But transport has traditionally been one of the world’s biggest sources of carbon emissions too. Therefore, if India is to keep its ambitious climate commitment to reduce emissions intensity by 45% from the 2005 level by 2030, it must accelerate the decarbonisation of its urban transport infrastructure at the same time.
Of course, India already has a vast Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), a state-owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, providing a more energy-efficient and less polluting urban transport alternative to its buses, cars, motorcycles, and popular motorised rickshaws.
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The task now is to expand this formula to make travel in Indian cities more reliable and energy efficient, thereby driving healthier cities. As part of this, India has pledged to operate 1,700 kilometers of metro in 25 cities by 2025.
The news is that we already have many power distribution technologies in place to meet this formidable challenge; The task now is to implement them at scale.
Arguably, one of the main concerns for any subway operator is a reliable and resilient power source.
While millions of people rely on subway systems to get to work, home, and their recreational destinations, even the slightest delay or failure caused by a power outage can temporarily lead to chaos. For example, an electrical power factor recently disrupted the Pune Metro. service on the Vanaz-Ruthrough Hall line for 20 minutes, causing widespread disruption to thousands of commuters.
Recently, ABB India provided the Kanpur Metro with an intelligent distribution architecture – including low voltage switchboards, medium voltage panels and lighting distribution boards – designed to smooth operations, providing a pollution-free, safe commute to citizens and, in turn, easing traffic congestion.
But this is just one example of our ongoing work on 17 metro lines in India. In other cases, for example, when works to modernise or modify the metro’s electrical networks are to be carried out temporarily and without interruption, or as little as possible, for services, modular responses are an option. Being prefabricated, pre-engineered, and pre-tested for undeniable execution, adjustments can be made temporarily without the related downtime. This can reduce deployment time by up to 50%.
For larger upgrades with limited time available for execution, we also offer the option of an e-House – a prefabricated, pretested transportable substation, designed to house medium and low-voltage switchgear, critical power equipment, and automation cabinets for remote command and control. What makes this approach ideal for metro projects is that it allows flexibility in the execution plan and a very limited impact on the revenue service in case of retrofit or extension of existing lines.
By nature, local sourcing is a key component of any sustainable strategy, helping operators to reduce carbon emissions related to transporting parts and appliances over long distances in particular.
With this in mind, India’s “Make in India” policy continues to boost foreign imports and inspire corporations to develop, manufacture and combine products made in India.
Once again, the power distribution sector has a solution with ABB India manufacturing all of its voltage, switchgear, and many other solutions at its Bangalore, Nashik, and Vadodara factory sites.
Using a local supplier with an acute, first-hand understanding of a region’s unique challenges can prove invaluable.
This local technique may not have a profound effect on carbon impact, but it also makes it possible to leverage local capacities and expertise. Each country or region has its own set of circumstances, from the volume of requests and long-term forecasts to the condition of the metro lines themselves, related local and national power generation facilities, and even seasonal factors. India is no exception, as it faces demanding situations of immediate urbanization, excessive weather, an emerging economy, and a highly ambitious net-zero target. emissions trajectory.
In this way, a local supplier with a deep and direct knowledge of the demanding situations unique to a region can prove invaluable in terms of the opportunity to optimize efficiency, achieve economies of scale, and magnify climate impact.
But it’s not just about ensuring a reliable source of power for modern subway operators, it’s also important to find new tactics to boost power and even generate your own force.
ABB’s Enviline™ energy storage system (ESS), for example, can be located along the DC line, capturing excess regenerative braking power and returning it directly to the line to aid acceleration for other nearby trains. The energy used in this cycle many times a day provides the greatest opportunity to increase the energy output of traction systems and reduce grid-based demand. It can reduce total energy consumption by up to 30%.
The formula can also be used to manage brownouts to keep exercises on schedule, all without the grid-related strength needs. This reduces related application costs and can also be used, in some cases, as an option to defer or defer potential capital. investments for new traction substations and additional contracts with application companies. It also provides critical backup force where, in the event of a power outage or instability in the public network, operators can access the stored force to move the exercise to the next station where travelers can safely disembark from the exercise.
Another important area of innovation is solar energy, as more and more metro operators are installing solar power plants on station rooftops to fulfill ancillary desires in station facilities, such as air conditioning. The New Delhi Metro, for example, now mandates 60% of all electrical appliances and appliances to be solar-powered.
Again, combining this investment in sun with battery energy storage (BESS) systems could allow operators to reap more benefits by reducing peaks, shifting load, and maximizing self-consumption.
From 2024, hydrogen exercises will finally become a reality in India, as Indian Railways will launch its first hydrogen-powered exercise from Jind in Haryana. Importantly, this sustainable breakthrough – where hydrogen and oxygen are used to generate electricity, with water being the only by-product – will also provide a key indicator of the prospects for hydrogen use in the metro.
When it comes to the future of urbanization, not only in India but also in cities around the world, no other form of transportation can compete with the metro in its goals of reaching net zero emissions while meeting socio-economic needs.
With many technologies already available, it is recommended that metro operators leverage them today to make the biggest impact in the future. With benefits that go beyond sustainable functionality and include energy security and smarter operation, this will help you get ahead of the curve in this global industry-defining adventure.
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