Kanpur Metro trains to adopt technology to conserve energy

The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (UPMRC) has claimed that it has included a provision in the Kanpur metro rail project for installing a special inverter device with the third rail DC traction system to convert the direct current (DC) power regenerated by the train's breaking into alternate current (AC) and reroute it to the metro system for reuse. Kanpur Metro trains will have a 40 to 45% energy efficiency, which means that for every 1000 units spent, up to 450 units can be regenerated through braking and reused thanks to regenerative braking technology. In India, no other metro project uses the Third Rail DC Traction System and has such an energy-saving arrangement. According to the UPMRC, the Rapid Metro Projects in Bangalore, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Gurgaon are currently using the country's Third Rail DC Traction System, and none of them has any plans to reuse the Direct Current (DC) energy generated by train braking. As the regenerated energy is in DC form, whereas the rest of the Metro system runs on AC current, this is the case. For the Kanpur traction system, UPMRC provided a special inverter that can convert 750 volts DC current regenerated by train braking into 33 KV AC current for reuse. Kumar Keshav, Managing Director, UPMRC, told the media that they have made energy conservation innovations while executing projects with the goal of ‘Clean Metro, Green Metro’. There is a provision for energy conservation with the technique of regenerative braking in metro projects operating with AC traction systems in the country, including Lucknow, but no such system is available for the third rail DC traction system. With this innovation, the Kanpur metro rail project will set an example for all other metro rail projects in the country that use the third rail traction System in terms of energy conservation. Image Source Also read: Andheri West station of Metro 2A to offer commercial space on lease