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Tapping Subway Trains For Energy

Posted by Soulskill on from the make-them-pedal dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Industrial flywheel manufacturer Vycon Energy believes that they can tap the immense amount of kinetic energy carried by moving subway trains to subsidize city power systems. Not only would this reduce emissions, but it would also help to avoid peak power emergencies. This energy could the be used to start the trains up again — a 10-car subway train in New York's system requires a jolt of three to four megawatts of power for 30 seconds to get up to cruising speed — that's enough energy to power 1,300 average U.S. homes."

4 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. Better idea by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Funny

    Forget this fancy regenerative braking nonsense.

    What better way to get one train totally stopped, while startup up another? The solution to this problem is obvious, simply let an incoming train hit a parked one. The kinetic energy will be transferred, the parked train will be in motion while the formerly moving train is almost totally stopped.

    All you need to make it work is some very good bumpers and perhaps strengthening the hand-straps.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Better idea by formfeed · · Score: 3, Funny

      What better way to get one train totally stopped, while startup up another? The solution to this problem is obvious, simply let an incoming train hit a parked one. [...] All you need to make it work is some very good bumpers and perhaps strengthening the hand-straps.

      I'd add a pair of gigantic springs.

    2. Re:Better idea by SuperKendall · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well I did hope the bit about handstraps was enough of a clue...

      But come to think of it, the brilliance of the plan is how it keeps the trains on an exact schedule. Why yes, the train IS leaving at 10:43 even if you try to hold the door.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  2. Re:Try it with airplanes by BradleyUffner · · Score: 3, Funny

    The energy in subway trains is dwarfed by the energy used and lost on runways for jetliners. Imagine a system where, when a plane touches down, the energy is absorbed by a ground-based system that is then used to assist in takeoff for the next plane.

    I suppose the natural first use of this would be on aircraft carriers. They already use systems to assist the takeoff, and they use hooks and cables in landing. They just need to efficiently store all that energy for reuse. (Then, again, when you have your own private nuclear reactor, energy for the catapult system may not be such a big deal.)

    Nuclear Powered Subway Trains? I LIKE it!