Development and application of a battery energy storage system simulation program for rail transit systems. Volume 3. Final report

Under the Rail Transit Energy Management Program, a computer model was developed to assess the economic feasibility of applying battery energy storage to rail transit systems. This model was applied to the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT) (Pittsburgh) light rail system and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority`s (WMATA) MetroRail. The results indicate that the payback periods for investment into battery energy storage and relatively long; 14 years for WMATA and 10 years for PAT. These payback periods are marginal and with the risk associated with implementing battery storage, it is doubtful whether transit management would be inclined to make such an investment. The capital cost of battery storage can be reduced by eliminating the power conditioning equipment and allowing the battery to be connected directly to the third rail catenary or trolley system. The model can easily be modified to assess the economic feasibility of other alternative energy sources such as cogeneration and other storage media, such as superconducting magnetic energy storage.