Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has launched the S-EIV-X, a new model in its station energy saving inverter (S-EIV1) series. The system supplies train station facilities with surplus regenerative power realized when railway cars apply their brakes. Offered as a subscription service to help minimize upfront installation costs, the S-EIV-X features remote data acquisition capabilities that continuously collect feeder voltage2 and operating data of S-EIV-X.
As railway operators accelerate decarbonization initiatives, they are increasingly adopting technologies that make use of surplus regenerative power, including station energy saving inverters that supply electricity for station lighting, air conditioning, elevators and other equipment. The amount of surplus regenerative power available, however, varies according to fluctuations in feeder voltage caused by train operating conditions and changes in air-conditioning loads resulting from temperature differences between the inside and outside of the train.
Maximizing the use of this energy therefore requires continuous monitoring of absorbed surplus regenerative power and feeder voltage fluctuations, and also maintaining optimal feeder voltage. Until now, collecting this data has required personnel to visit substations or station electrical rooms to manually operate the S-EIV monitoring panel, making continuous, timely monitoring difficult.
The new S-EIV-X overcomes these limitations by using a dedicated network to continuously and remotely collect feeder voltage values and operating data that enable the optimization of power utilization. In addition, if an abnormality occurs in the S-EIV-X unit itself, operational logs can be checked remotely.
