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Power to the people: the development of supercapacitors has spawned a flurry of 'energy tank' systems from LRV manufacturers. Alstom is the latest company to unveil a capacitor-based energy storage system which, as Keith Barrow discovers, will become part of a range of complementary technologies designed to boost the energy efficiency of light rail.

Publication: International Railway Journal
Publication Date: 01-SEP-09 		Format: Online
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Full Article Title: Power to the people: the development of supercapacitors has spawned a flurry of 'energy tank' systems from LRV manufacturers. Alstom is the latest company to unveil a capacitor-based energy storage system which, as Keith Barrow discovers, will become part of a range of complementary technologies designed to boost the energy efficiency of light rail.(Urban rail)

Article Excerpt
AS WE reported in the June issue of IRJ (p20), supercapacitors are causing quite a stir among manufacturers of light rail vehicles (LRVs). The rapid improvement in the capacity of supercapacitors in recent years has unlocked new opportunities to store energy onboard LRVs, giving rise to an abundance of innovative catenary-free systems such as Siemens' Sistras HES and the rapid charge accumulator from CAF, Spain.

Alstom has been at the forefront of modern catenary-free technologies for several years, and its APS ground power supply system is now finding favour in cities around the world, having been pioneered in the French city of Bordeaux in 2003. So it comes as little surprise that the steady advance of supercapacitor technology over the last decade has not escaped the company's attention.

The Maximal Energy Efficiency Tramway System (Steem) is a joint research initiative between Alstom, the French Institute for Transport Safety and Research (Inrets) and Paris Transport Authority (RATP). Steem is being extensively tested on light rail line...

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