In order to accelerate efforts toward decarbonization in the railway industry, a national study group has begun to discuss technical issues such as switching the electricity used for trains to renewable energy.
About 20 people attended the first meeting on the 4th, including executives and experts from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and railway companies.
At the beginning, Mr. Atsushi Uehara, Director General of the Railway Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, said, "I look forward to lively discussions so that railway operators can use decarbonization efforts as a source of growth rather than cost."
At the meeting after this, the railway company will work on installing solar panels and windmills on idle land such as slopes around the railroad tracks, switching the electric power used for trains to renewable energy, and using renewable energy. By placing a storage battery nearby, it was suggested that the electricity generated when braking the train could be used effectively.
In the future, the study group will discuss technical and institutional issues, and will issue an interim report in June that includes national support measures.
According to the country, 75% of the electricity consumed by railway companies depends on thermal power generation, and major companies are starting to switch some routes to renewable energy, but the industry as a whole is progressing. plug.
For this reason, the key to the study group is to be able to come up with concrete measures for decarbonization, including small and medium-sized railway operators.