http://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/dutch-trains-wind-energy/
[Incidentally, the Calgary Alberta C-Train light rail system makes the
same claim, running in the financial heart of Canada's oil and natural
gas industry.]
All electric Dutch trains are now 100% powered by wind energy
Tibi Puiu January 12, 2017
As of the 1st of January, 2017, electric Dutch trains are now completely
powered by wind energy, according to NS, the national railway company.
Only the couple of Diesel trains in the fleet will use energy derived
from fossil fuels.
NS partnered with energy company Eneco for a 10-year contract which will
see electricity produced by wind farms directed to powering trains.
The Dutch railway company will use 1.2 billion kWh of electricity this
year or as much as all households in the country consume. Roughly
600,000 passengers will travel on trains 100% powered by wind energy in
2017. As an interesting trivia fact, only three strokes of an Eneco wind
turbine are enough to push a railway trail one kilometer. Every day, NS
operates 5,500 train trips.
“Mobility is responsible for 20 percent of CO2 emissions in the
Netherlands, and if we want to keep traveling, it is important that we
do this without burdening the environment with CO2 and particulate
matter,” Michel Kerkhof of energy company Eneco said last year.
The contract initially stated that the Dutch trains will be wind-powered
by 2018, but the milestone was reached much faster, according to NS
spokesman Ton Boon.
Boon says more wind farms will be installed in the Netherlands, both
inland and off the coast, to offset the new demand. Meanwhile, NS is
also working on ways to make train trips more efficient. The goal is to
bring down the energy use per passenger by 35 percent by 2020 compared
to 2005.
