Leeds partners with Network Rail on pioneering £11m railway energy pilot
The University of Leeds is at forefront of a pioneering £11 million railway energy project – the first initiative of its kind in Europe, and possibly the world.
The Flexible Railway Energy Hubs pilot project, based in Ayr, Scotland, aims to transform how energy is managed and stored on the railway network. It is a landmark collaboration between the University and Network Rail, SP Energy Networks, Ricardo Energy and Environment, and GE Vernova.
The project, which is now entering its third phase – demonstration – follows a feasibility study and design phase. Professor Kang Li, Chair in Smart Energy Systems at the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, played a crucial role in developing the concept. Back in 2022, Professor Li secured initial funding from Ofgem SIF together with SP Energy Networks, Network Rail and Ricardo to bring the project to life. His vision overcomes legacy technological and institutional challenges, revolutionising railway energy use.
Speaking about the next phase, Professor Li said: “We have been working closely with key industrial partners to demonstrate the energy hub technology for scale-up, with the vision to roll out energy hubs to as many of over 2,500 railway stations and extend the technology to road, ports and airports to accelerate the transport decarbonisation in a holistic approach, offering services of substantive flexibility capacity to both transport and power sectors.”
With £8.2 million in funding from Ofgem and additional support from Network Rail and its partners, this project represents a significant step forward in creating a more sustainable, efficient, and reliable railway system. The School’s involvement underscores its leading role in shaping the future of smart energy systems, not just for railways but for broader applications in sustainable transportation.
The core of the project is the construction of a 25kV AC energy microgrid at Townhead depot in Ayr, which will enable the storage of energy to deliver services to both railway and power networks, a concept previously unexploited in railway operations. Traditionally, railways rely on power from the National Grid in real time, leading to inefficiencies as energy is often drawn during peak demand periods, when it is at its most expensive. This microgrid demonstration will allow energy to be stored when prices are low and used when demand heightens, offering a more predictable and cost-effective solution.
What makes this project groundbreaking is the close collaboration between two major infrastructure bodies – power system operators and the railway network – who have historically operated independently. Integrating energy hubs into railway traction power supply network while delivering services to the power grid presented both a technological and logistical challenge. This project, however, successfully brings these two entities together in creating a seamlessly integrated energy hub network that could pave the way for similar partnerships in the future.
Once proven, the concept could be rolled out across the entire UK railway network, leading to huge reductions in energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The success of the project could also see the technology potentially applied to other transport infrastructures, like airports or electric road systems for vehicles, further amplifying its potential impact on sustainable travel.
The Ayr site was chosen from nine potential locations across the Scotland for the pilot due to its connection to the constrained Kilmarnock South section of the Scottish Power Transmission network. The microgrid will help smooth out the railway’s irregular energy demands, enabling energy to be purchased during off-peak periods and stored for later use, potentially saving millions of pounds per annum if scaled up nationally.
