KOCHI: Kochi Metro is making a case for pause! A large chunk of the electricity that powers its network is generated when trains simply apply the brakes at each station. Yes, you read it right. As per officials, as high as 40% of the total energy utilised by the service is produced through this process, known as regenerative braking.
Stretching from Aluva to SN Junction, in Tripunithura, Kochi Metro currently has 22 stations. “Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism in which kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy when the brakes are applied at each station,” a technical official explained. So, whenever the brakes are applied to stop a train at each station, it generates electricity. This regenerated energy is supplied back to the overhead electric line used to power the network.
“The electricity generated in braking is fed back into the system and utilised by other trains, which are in the loop at different locations on the track and are not in braking mode. Hence, it is acknowledged as the most significant step for energy saving,” the KMRL official said.
This regenerated power is used to operate air conditioning, batteries, etc, in trains. “The excess power is pumped to the feeder, which is utilised by other trains on the same line,” he said. Using this technology, Kochi Metro also very effectively reduces the wear of mechanical brakes.