The field testing carried out in recent months as part of an innovative project to reuse the traction energy of trains confirms an energy savings of 8.26%.
The energy recovery equipment installed in the Ripa substation includes a converter capable of delivering electrical energy to the network with maximum instantaneous peak power of 1,500 kW. This new equipment, connected between the overhead lines and the existing traction transformer, is able to capture surplus energy, making the substations reversible and not only receivers of energy, as has been the case until now.

The innovative system captures the energy generated during the braking process that was not recovered, and returns it to the network (currently 44% of the electricity used for traction energy in trains is recovered).

The environmental consequences of the installation at Ripa represent the reduction of 289 Tons of Oil Equivalent, or avoiding the emission of 2,185 metric tons of CO2, during one year.

Now that the pilot study in the Ripa electrical substation is complete, Metro Bilbao will install similar equipment in five of the ten substations on the Metro Bilbao network. It is estimated that with this extension 4,341 MWh, or the equivalent of the consumption of 1,241 families during one entire year, will be saved.