Integrating Renewable Energy into the Electric Railway System in Dense Urban Regions

This paper presents a unique application of renewable energy into an electric railway system to meet tractive power needs. A case study is presented using New York City's (NYC) subway system, the world's largest rapid transit system by number of stations. The research explores the feasibility of incorporating solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and electric vehicle (EV) charging within the existing subway infrastructure. The integration not only supports the subway system's operation without any hindrance but also enables the successful charging of three to six EVs per station, contributing towards the worldwide shift to zero-emission transportation. A financial study is also presented, which demonstrates promising economic outcomes with a profitability index of up to 1.4 and a net present value of at least $224,099, all achieved with a relatively short payback period of approximately four years.