The energy reservoir, which was built in Garbce, in the commune of Żmigród (50 km from Wrocław in Lower Silesia Region, Poland), can single power a train traveling at a speed of 160 km per hour.
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This is made possible by four battery containers with a total of 4,240 modern lithium-ion cells.
The storage facility will strengthen the security and quality of energy supply to the railways, balance the power drawn from the Polish National Power System, and allow for more efficient use of renewable energy sources under the Green Rail Program. The value of the project is nearly PLN 20 million (ca EUR 4.4 million). The storage facility was created in cooperation with the University of Zielona Góra.
The plant in Garbce, with a capacity of 5.5 MW and a usable capacity of 1.2 MWh, is the largest energy storage facility working for traction purposes in Europe. The four containers use lithium-ion batteries made with NMC technology.
This solution takes into account the nature of rail power, allowing the storage facility to charge slowly and release stored energy quickly when a train passes. The storage facility is capable of powering even the fastest trains, including Pendolino, within few seconds. At the heart of the storage facility is a DC/DC power converter that operates directly on DC/DC voltage, an innovative solution on a European scale.
In the case of other DC-powered rail systems, traction storage facilities yield AC output, forcing additional DC/AC/DC conversion. Bypassing this transformation significantly improves storage facility operations and results in energy savings that are not lost in the transition stages.
This is the first of about 300 „power banks†planned for the railways in Poland. Each will be part of a broader power ecosystem that also includes a traction substation and eventually a photovoltaic for other renewable energy sources – creating a Local Balancing Area (Polish: Lokalny Obszar Bilansowania, LOB). The storage facility is fully metered and automated, which allows for remote control and configuration of selected need-based parameters.
The location of the storage facility is no accident. Lower Silesia is a region with rich railway traditions, a dense network of connections, and its own, one of the most dynamically developing regional railways. According to Polish Office of Rail Transport (Urząd Transportu Kolejowego, UTK) data, it’s the most used province in Poland in terms of rail transportation in 2020.
The Marshall's Office there is taking over and repairing more railway lines of local importance. Koleje Dolnośląskie, which is owned by the office, is increasing the number of connections and investing in modern rolling stock – including hybrid vehicles.
The region is also quite important when it comes to the technicality and innovation of rail in our country. 10 km from Garbce, in the same commune of Żmigród, there is a specialized test track belonging to the Railway Institute, where newly constructed railway vehicles are tested.
The storage system suppliers for PKP Energetyka are: the consortium of My-Soft sp. z o.o. and Impact Clean Power Technology S.A. as well as ELESTER-PKP sp. z o.o. and the University of Zielona Góra. The value of the project is PLN 19,978,431.20 ($5232351.13), EU co-financing is PLN 8,819,597.28 ($2309852.53). ■