Metro Railway Kolkata, India's first metro, has commissioned a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) along the underground stretch of its Blue Line to enhance energy efficiency and ensure passenger safety during power outages.
The system - the first of its kind in Indian Railways - was commissioned in the presence of General Manager S S Mishra and other senior officials.
The BESS system comprises inverters and Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Batteries, and is capable of providing stored power in case of a power outage or grid failure. The 4 MW BESS is conceptualised as per the National Program on Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Storage, approved by the Union Cabinet in the year 2021, and is powered by a 6.4 MWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery as an energy storage element.
It has been designed in such a way that the electricity stored by it can be used to haul rakes at 55 km/hr speed from the mid-tunnel to the next station, if stranded in case of any Grid Failure, besides providing power supply to the tunnel ventilation and environment control system at the underground stations. The system, also equipped with green batteries, has a lifespan of around 14 years and is compact in design. It is also going to reduce carbon footprint with better energy efficiency than conventional generators.
The system will efficiently handle spikes in power demand and improve the power factor, which will reduce the energy bill.
It is learnt that if the power supply suddenly goes out during the metro operation, it will be possible to reach the breakdown rack to the nearest metro station through the microgrid system.
Metro General Manager Subhrangshushekhar Mishra said, "This is a backup system. In case of a sudden power outage, the metro rack loaded with passengers can be safely transported to the nearest station through this. The ventilation system will also be active. As a result, there will be no inconvenience to the passengers.''
