SEPTA Receives Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence
April 20, 2016
SEPTA Media Relations
Posted April 19, 2016
SEPTA’s successful efforts to reduce power consumption by using cutting-edge technology to capture, store and reuse the energy generated by braking trains has been recognized with a prestigious honor from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. SEPTA has received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence – the highest statewide honor bestowed upon businesses and organizations for environmental performance – for its wayside energy initiative at the Griscom Substation on the Market-Frankford Line. The Griscom project followed the successful launch of this program at the Letterly Substation, which also serves the Market-Frankford Line.
The award is presented each year by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to highlight the best in environmental innovation and expertise. The award was presented to SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council dinner on April 19. “SEPTA is proud to receive this award, which recognizes an effort that is a major part of our overall Sustainability Program Plan,” Knueppel said. “SEPTA is committed to using new technologies and innovation to develop projects such as the wayside energy initiative. This helps our bottom-line by enhancing efforts to control energy costs, and also delivers environmental improvements, which benefits residents throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region.”
SEPTA has taken an innovative approach to reducing electricity costs and consumption by partnering with Philadelphia-based Viridity Energy to develop a pioneering Wayside Energy Storage System that captures, stores and reuses regenerative energy created by braking trains. The program was first deployed at the Letterly and Griscom substations, where it has proven to be effective at reducing energy consumption. In addition, it has created opportunities for SEPTA to generate revenue by providing frequency regulation services to the local Regional Transmission Organization.
The successes at Letterly and Griscom have prompted an expansion of the program, with seven new wayside energy storage devices set to be installed at substations serving the Market-Frankford Line and Broad Street Line subway. This will create the first fully-commercial deployment of energy storage in a transit operation, allowing SEPTA to further reduce operating costs, ensure energy resiliency and support the stability of the electrical grid.
These efforts are part of the Authority’s system-wide Sustainability Program Plan, which was adopted by the SEPTA Board in January 2011. The plan formalizes SEPTA’s commitment to environmental stewardship, and has placed SEPTA as an industry leader in advancing a comprehensive environmental, social and economic sustainability agenda.
For more information about SEPTA’s Sustainability Program Plan, visit http://www.septa.org/sustain.
