Light Rail Transit System Energy Flow Analysis for the Case of Addis Ababa City: For the Application of Regenerative Energy and Energy Storage

Abstract Significant amounts of energy can be saved by installing energy storage on an electrified transit system allowing energy from braking to be captured. The amount of energy saved is dependent on the amount of energy transferred during braking which relies on the drive cycle and the vehicle parameters. Additional energy is saved through a lower overall energy requirement of train, which results in a reduction in traction supply losses. The overall benefit can be determined by analyzing the energy flow through components in an electrified transit system and hence determining the change in energy dissipations when energy storage is installed. In this paper, electrified transit system energy flows are analyzed for the implementation of energy storage system on board on Addis Ababa light rail transit. The methodology used assesses energy flows in the traction system, establishing where energy is dissipated. The analysis is performed for a specified drive cycle. Finally, the analysis showed that 36 % of traction energy could be saved through the implementation of energy storage on the Addis Ababa light rail transit.