Optimizing Hybrid Supercapacitor-Battery Storage Systems for Efficient Power Management in Rail Systems Integrated with Renewable Energy Sources

The use of integrated photovoltaic power plants with railway traction circuits form a sustainable practice to meet energy requirements with minimal reliance on conventional power resources. The possibility of this integration is explored further in this paper with the energy storage and utilization using computational models. A lithium-ion battery pack with an average voltage of 115 V and an average Ah capacity of 11.5 Ah was used as the energy store to contain PV power plant energy generated by a 15% efficient photovoltaic surface. Use of train rotations of 400 seconds on the track along with the information on solar irradiation, energy was stored during high solar intensity. Two cases were examined: when the number of train cycles (nc) is equal to 5 and when nc equals 20. It showed that for Value of nc =5, the discharge power was at its highest as it provides for full utilization of the energy production during peak hours of the day. On the other hand, for nc = 20 there was a good control of excess power as the power requirement was met through purchases from distribution network. The cost of the total system was between $11,000 and $20,000. These results show the prospects for further development of integrated solar systems that can provide energy sustainability and operational efficiency in railway systems.