Wind energy produces electricity by wind turbines connected to the official distribution network. With an almost schematic design compared to traditional windmills, today's turbines are distributed in parks, and they have an ideal territory in the Netherlands: flat and windy. With some 2.000 already installed that today serve 4,5% of the total electricity, the national railways, gathered in an association called VIVENS, have joined this sustainable energy source
La company dutch from railroads Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), which manages practically all passenger routes in the country, has become the primera company railway of the world using exclusively electricity produced with renewable sources to move your Trains.
The change was not expected to come until 2018, but the Dutch (Netherlands) authorities announced that their entire train fleet now runs XNUMX% on wind power. Officially, since January 1 of this year 2017, All trains running on the tracks in the Netherlands are powered by clean energy generated from renewable sources. To be exact, from this year all trains run on electricity generated by huge wind farms distributed in the fields of Holland, Belgium, Finland or Sweden.
Despite good Dutch conditions, wind energy is not only dedicated to trains and The country does not have enough turbines to meet its needs. So half is generated within and the rest is purchased from suppliers in other countries as we have commented previously. There it has contributed to the construction of new wind turbines, and this investment ensures that imported electricity (via land or undersea cables) comes from windmills rather than other non-renewable sources. To prove it, the VIVENS association must have a certificate official that indicates the origin of the energy and its sustainability, as well as the name of the seller, before bringing the electricity to the Netherlands.
The origins of this clean energy project date back to 2015, when the NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the main railway company in the country) reached an agreement with the other companies in the sector to reduce the harmful effects of pollution generated by the energy sources that at that time fed the trains. The goal was to become 100% dependent on renewable energy sources by 2018, but they have managed to achieve their purpose a year ahead of schedule.
In the case of the main railway company in the country, the NS, this company transports more than 600.000 passengers throughout the country every day. This figure, translated into energy consumption, is equivalent to one demand of 1,2 TWh of electricity each year.
In short, the mileage covered by Dutch trains needs 1.400 billion kilowatt-hours per year, an amount similar to that consumed by all households in Amsterdam. A windmill averages 7.500.00 kilowatt-hours per year. And one hour on the road is enough to load a train route of about 200 kilometers. The data are from the railways themselves and from the electricity and gas company Eneco
Given that the country's companies are not able to meet one hundred percent of the demand for renewable energy, much of the wind energy that powers these trains comes from abroad.
But that does not detract from the news, since half of the electricity that powers these trains is expected to come from parks. Of the 1,2 TWh per year that the trains need to operate, 450 MWh will come from a plant located in the municipality of Noordoostpolder and another 129 MWh will come from Luchterduinen.
NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen)
To celebrate this news, the president of the railway company NS -Roger van Boxtel- It has been seen in a curious video in which it appears attached to a mill while the propellers begin to turn due to the effect of the wind, all at the same time as a company train passes in front of the mill. Of course, there are reasons enough for joy.