The national railway company NS has announced that all electric trains in the Netherlands are now powered by wind energy.
“Since January 1, all of our trains have run on wind energy,” said Ton Boon, a spokeswoman for NS.
Are all Dutch trains powered by wind?
All trains in the Netherlands currently run entirely on wind energy. Screenshot courtesy of NS/YouTube In the Netherlands, trains were supposed to run 100% on renewable energy by 2018.
What country employs electric trains driven by wind?
The national railway operator of the Netherlands, NS, has announced that all of its electric passenger trains are now powered entirely by wind energy.
In the Netherlands, what fuels trains?
The trains in the Netherlands are powered entirely by wind energy, which is unsurprising. After all, the country is known around the world for its beautiful windmills! Windmills were first used to generate energy to pump water or crush grain. Turbines now dot the landscape, producing electricity to assist Dutch commuters in getting to work.
Since January 1, 2017, all of the electric trains operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), one of the country’s national railway companies, have been powered by wind energy. For several years, they had been collaborating with Eneco, a Dutch “sustainable energy supplier,” to make this happen.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, they also met their objective of using 100% renewable energy a year ahead of schedule. And the country’s brilliance doesn’t end there!
According to the Global Wind Energy Council, between January and December 2015, record-breaking turbines capable of generating 586 MW of power were erected. Then, in 2016, a 700 MW offshore wind farm in Borssele became the most ‘cost-effective’ in the world, bringing Dutch wind back into the spotlight. NS and Eneco were able to meet their aim so far ahead of time thanks to their previous accomplishments.
The quantity of electricity required to run these trains is also not insignificant. On a daily basis, NS runs roughly 5,500 train trips. The company transports 600,000 people each day and uses 1.2 billion kWh of electricity per year. This is enough electricity to power all of the homes in Amsterdam, the country’s capital. The idea that they can generate so much energy solely from wind is enormous!
The electricity sent to the train powers the train’s lighting, air conditioning, and traction motors, which spin the train’s wheels. NS is the world’s first rail company to run its whole fleet on renewable energy. According to the firms, one hour of wind turbine operation can power a train for 120 kilometers.
The Netherlands has more than 2,000 wind turbines scattered out across the country. The energy generated by these wind turbines is enough to power 2.4 million homes. We are in the midst of a renewable energy revolution, and the Netherlands is one of the top countries leading by example.
Is wind energy used in Holland?
There were at least 2,525 onshore wind turbines in operation at the end of 2015, generating a total of 3,000 megawatts (MW) of power. This amounts to about 5% of the overall demand in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands must have 6,000 MW of onshore wind capacity by 2020. The Energy Agreement for Sustainable Growth specifies this. This means that capacity will have to be boosted by more than 3,000 MW. With an average capacity of 2 to 3 MW, the Netherlands will require between 1,000 and 1,500 additional onshore wind turbines.
Is it possible to power a train with just one windmill?
“Since January 1, all of our trains have been powered by wind energy,” NS spokesman Ton Boon told AFP.
Eneco, a Dutch electrical business, won a tender run by NS two years ago, and the two companies inked a 10-year agreement that calls for all NS trains to run on wind energy by January 2018.
“We actually achieved our objective a year sooner than projected,” said Boon, who said that a rise in the number of wind farms around the country and off the Dutch coast had aided NS in achieving its goal.
On a joint website, Eneco and NS claimed that wind energy is allowing 600,000 people per day to travel “for the first time in the world.” NS runs around 5,500 train trips each day.
According to the firms, one windmill working for an hour can power a train for 200 kilometers (120 miles). They now expect to cut energy consumption per passenger by 35% by 2020 compared to 2005.
In the Netherlands, how do trains work?
In Holland, you can travel by rail using a single-use chipcard or an OV-chipkaart (smart card). For sporadic travelers, the single-use chipcard is ideal. It’s available for purchase at any NS ticketing machine or service desk. Chipcards for single usage are always 1 euro more per journey. You are not required to charge the card with credit, but you must check in and out.
We recommend purchasing a ‘anonymous OV-chipkaart’ if you expect to ride the railway frequently while in Holland. They are available for purchase at NS ticketing machines or the service desk. For an anonymous OV-chipkaart, there is a one-time cost of EUR 7.50. (which can also be used on buses, trams, metros and ferries). You must charge credit to your anonymous OV-chipkaart prior to traveling, which can be done at an NS ticking machine. If you want to travel by train, your OV-chipkaart must have at least 20 euros in credit! Every trip must start with a check-in and end with a check-out. On the station, look for the OV-chipkaart pillars.
What is the average speed of Dutch trains?
Hanzelijn (English: Hanseatic line) is a high-speed railway line in the Netherlands that runs for 50 kilometers (31 miles). It connects Lelystad, the provincial capital of Flevoland, with Zwolle, the provincial capital of Overijssel, and provides a direct train link between Flevoland and the Netherlands’ north-east. The line’s top speed is 200 km/h (124 mph), yet no domestic rolling stock in the Netherlands can go faster than 160 km/h (99 mph). The line speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) can only be obtained by freeing the line for international trains.
With the Hanzelijn’s completion in 2012, Zwolle became the Netherlands’ second-most important railway junction. The Intercity Nieuwe Generatie (ICNG), a new type Dutch train, will begin service on the HSL-Zuid track in 2023, connecting Breda with Rotterdam, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam Zuid, Lelystad, Zwolle, Groningen, and Leeuwarden. This new train will be capable of reaching 200 km/h on the BredaSchiphol HSL-Zuid line and the LelystadZwolle Hanzelijn stretch, instead of the current 160 km/h. The current direct trains from Breda to Zwolle take 2h 21m and pass through’s-Hertogenbosch. If you transfer at Rotterdam Centraal, the current fastest route is up to 8 minutes faster. The new HSL-Zuid-based direct route from Breda to Zwolle eliminates the need for a transfer. The entire journey time should be reduced by about 30 minutes.
Is NS a for-profit corporation?
The Board of Directors is in charge of the company. The Board of Commissioners is in charge of oversight. These bodies are autonomous from one another. The General Assembly of Shareholders is responsible for both bodies’ work (“General Assembly”). NS Groep NV is the parent business of NV Nederlandse Spoorwegen.
Shareholder
The NV Nederlandse Spoorwegen is owned entirely by the Dutch government. The Ministry of Finance plays the role of the company’s shareholder. The General Assembly is subject to the mitigated structural regime as well as the Articles of Association.
Organisation of the company
The Board of Directors is ultimately accountable for NV Nederlandse Spoorwegen and its companies as a whole. The Nederlandse Spoorwegen’s activities are grouped into three categories: passenger transport, hub development and exploitation, and rail infrastructure and construction.
Do windmills in the Netherlands generate electricity?
One operational Dutch windmill (Veldkamps Meul’n in Bellingwolde) is said to produce 18kW of useable mechanical energy. You could get up to 80% of it 14kW or so in electricity if this was connected to an efficient generator. The sail diameter of this windmill is 20 meters, although modern wind turbines for large-scale power generation are usually at least 40 meters across. These produce around 500kW of power. If we assume that power generation increases in direct proportion to the square of the diameter, a scaled-down modern turbine would still produce 125kW. That’s approximately a ninefold increase in efficiency.
