University of Basel receives Watt d'Or
This year's winners of the Watt d'Or energy prize include the rail company BLS and the University of Basel. They received the award for a modernization program for rail vehicles, thanks to which a considerable amount of electricity can be saved. The efficiency initiative was launched by Basel physics professor emeritus Peter Oelhafen.
The Watt d'Or trophy was presented to the winners by Council of States member Pascale Bruderer on January 10 in Bern. Prof. Dr. Peter Oelhafen, Professor Emeritus of Experimental Physics at the University of Basel, was able to accept the prize together with representatives of the railroad company BLS in the category "Energy Efficient Mobility".
Oelhafen had proposed to BLS AG to measure the energy consumption in rail vehicles in detail in order to gain a solid basis for savings. For the measurement campaign, one of the BLS trains was equipped with sensors and electricity meters to measure the consumption of all subsystems.
The results showed: Only slightly more than half of the total annual energy consumed by a "Nina" type train is used for actual driving. One third is used for heating, ventilation and cooling. Around another third is consumed when the train is stationary, as many systems continue to run.
Annual consumption of 3000 households saved
The impressive measurement results have led to a comprehensive modernization of 36 S-Bahn trains. This included the introduction of a snooze mode, the modernization of energy technology, and the installation of new types of lighting and new window panes.
With this and other efficiency measures in the other rail vehicle fleets, BLS is saving around 13 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, equivalent to the annual consumption of over 3,000 households. Other transport companies and many partners from research and industry are involved in sub-projects of the energy-saving program initiated by Peter Oelhafen.
