After several hurdles, Caltrain has successfully negotiated with Peninsula Clean Energy and San Jose Clean Energy to receive compensation for its energy generation, estimated to be about $1 million annually.
With its new electrified service, the trains generate and subsequently export energy when braking, a process known as regenerative braking. The technology was first introduced in the 19th century, and according to a Caltrain press release, the process works by “driving an electric motor in reverse to recapture energy rather than losing it as heat during braking.” The fleet is designed to return the power to its overhead contact system, which then feeds into the closest power facility.
About 23% of the energy Caltrain consumes goes back to the grid through the process. But no agency in the state had previously been compensated for the regenerative braking technology, leaving Caltrain in uncharted territory.
Assembly Bill 1372, sponsored by Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, was largely aimed at helping Caltrain, which switched from diesel to electric service at the end of last year. The legislation would have facilitated agreement between utility providers like Pacific Gas and Electric and Caltrain to allow the rail agency to get compensated. While the legislation didn’t advance, it marked one of the first steps toward successful negotiation with PCE and SJCE, with which Caltrain contracts for its energy.
“I’m pleased to see that the renewable energy that Caltrain is sending back to the grid is being recognized and fairly compensated,” Papan said in a press release. “This is the right thing for supporting public transit and highlighting the incredible benefits from electrification.”
Since the switch to electric service, energy costs are still lower than originally anticipated — about $15.3 million annually, a decrease from the original $19.5 million — and it’s also enrolled in the California Air Resources Board’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program, which could bring in about $6 million per year in credits, according to previous estimates. The program functions similar to a cap-and-trade system, in which any entity that sells or uses fuel above a certain benchmark goes into a deficit. Conversely, those that use less than the benchmark, such as Caltrain, receive credits which can be sold to those operating on a deficit.
In a press release, Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Shawn Marshall said that with the new technology, Caltrain’s “cleaner, quieter and more efficient travel will send even more emission-free power back to the larger regional grid.”
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