Pilsen is testing a battery buffer storage station
30. 9. 2020
The Pilsen City Transport Company (PMDP) has launched a series of tests of a battery buffer storage station at the final station of trolleybus line 16. This interesting technology will fit the dimensions of a small shipping container, and one such is located just off the stream at Sídliště Bory. The charging station has no power supply from CEZ's external network, it is connected only to the trolleybus overhead wires from which its battery is continuously charged, and under load it is able to quickly supply a larger amount of energy back to the trolleybuses. The main function of the station is to strengthen places with insufficient power supply.
"With testing, we had to wait until the recovery of public transport. We need to verify the parameters of the station with full load. Lines 16 and 14 now run with the full fleet. In addition to normal operating conditions, we test how the station will cope when charging a larger number of battery trolleybuses or when disconnecting the power supplies from the substation. So far, everything is running smoothly”, says Jan Strobach, head of the PMDP centre for substations.
The measured results are sent to the University of Gdańsk, which performs an energy analysis of the trolleybus network. Thanks to this, PMDP will find out where the weak points are and where, on the contrary, the reserves, or how to reduce electricity consumption. "The main goal is to assess the future development of battery trolleybuses with dynamic charging and to verify whether the solution of strengthening the power grid with such battery stations is the right way. Furthermore, it will be important to find out whether it pays off economically and what are the ideal places for it, "says Jiří Kohout, head of PMDP's transport department, adding: “The trend is to use batteries not only in vehicles but also in the network. It is then possible to connect a small photovoltaic power plant to such stations or, on the contrary, to help with the charging of electric cars.”
"We are testing the charging station as part of the international INTERREG EfficienCE project. The aim of the project is to share experience with the operation of new sustainable technologies and increasing energy efficiency in public transport. We are cooperating with six other countries. For example, in Vienna, they are testing a solar power plant that supplies power to the metro station building”, explains Miroslav Macháň, PMDP's Traffic Operations Director.
INTERREG EfficienCE
EfficienCE is an international cooperation project funded by the Interreg Central Europe program, which aims to reduce the region's carbon footprint. Most Central European cities have extensive public transport systems that can become the basis for low-carbon mobility services. More than 63% of commuters use public transport in the Central European region. Measures to increase energy efficiency and increase the share of renewables in public transport infrastructure can thus have a particularly significant impact on reducing CO2 emissions. 7 countries are involved in the project: Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Austria, Italy, Hungary and Slovenia.
EU project – facts and figures
- 12 partners
- 7 member states
- €2m in EU funding for all projects
- 29 projects
- Duration: April 2019 to March 2022
Project partners
- City of Leipzig
- Leipzig Transport Company
- Wiener Linien
- Gdynia Transport Trolleybus Company
- Gdansk University of Technology
- City of Maribor
- University of Maribor
- Pilsen City Public Transport Company
- Municipality of Bergamo
- Redmint
- Mobilissimus
- BKK Centre for Budapest Transport
Contact:
- Pilsen City Transport Company (PMDP)
- Ing. Jan Strobach
- Email: JStrobach@pmdp.cz
- Phone nr.: +420 378 037 581
Photos: PMDP
