This Spanish company has won a contract to supply five energy recovery systems to the Brussels Metro system in Belgium, which will help cut CO2 emissions by 40% through 2030 and at the same time reduce energy costs.

The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB according to its abbreviation in French), which operates the Brussels Metro, is putting in place new measures to cut energy consumption. As part of this effort the STIB will rely on technology from Ingeteam, called Ingeber, that can recover between 10% and 30% of traction energy in railway systems. The Brussels Metro already has one Ingeteam system and, after proving its efficacy, has now decided to expand the project.

Trains not only consume energy but also produce it in the form of heat when breaks are applied. Ingeteam has developed proprietary technology that takes advantage of this energy. This heat is transformed into electrical energy and returned to the electricity grid. With the help of this system the Metro will be able to cut its CO2 emissions by 40% through 2030.

This system is ideal for commuter trains, trams and subways given that they make frequent stops. It is precisely at these times when the Ingeber system can recovery energy. Five of the company’s systems have already been installed: one in the Metro de Bilbao, in northern Spain; three in Bielefeld, Germany; and another in the southern Spanish city of Málaga for ADIF (the Spanish Administrator of Railway Infrastructures).