Design and Implementation of Solar PV-Based Railway Microgrid for Linke Hofmann Busch Coaches

Abstract

The demand for reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly transportation is the need of the hour, and developments are underway for transportation purposes. The use of DG (diesel generator) sets and fuels increases the emission of carbon dioxide and GHG (greenhouse gases) in transportation. Thus, causing pollution and global warming, which could result in drastic climate change, extinction of living species, rising ocean levels, and natural disasters. Non-conventional power sources like solar power, wind energy, and geothermal energy are emerging as complementary power resources in place of conventional sources. This article has proposed a Solar PV and storage-based system for power solutions of LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch, Germany) coaches used in railway transportation. The integration of this solar PV system within a railway microgrid framework enables intelligent energy management, ensuring efficient coordination between renewable generation, energy storage, and coach power demand. The study has shown that the area available atop train coaches is more than sufficient to generate the required power during sunlight hours. The power will be used through hotel load winding in the locomotive using the HOG (Head on Generation) scheme during cloudy weather and nighttime. Rakes can be used as energy generators while standing in the yard and can feed the energy to the grid, helping to save on tariffs. The total calculation was made by observing a standard running route, the number of coaches, and DG set usage. The cost of diesel is 90.70 INR/liter. In the proposed study, there will be an annual saving of 2,57,75,942 INR, corresponding to 2,84,189 liters of diesel per train per year after implementing this arrangement. The establishment cost of this system would be recovered in approximately five months, as calculated. Hence, the system implemented is a better solution for transportation that is reliable, sustainable, and eco-friendly.