THE keynote speaker at the International Union of Railways’ (UIC) General Assembly in July 2023 was not a railway expert, but a renewable energy leader: Ms Rana Adib, executive director of REN21, the only global multi-stakeholder network focused on advancing the renewable energy transition.
Soon after this intervention, which shed light on the interdependencies between renewables and transport, UIC became an official member of REN21. Both organisations are committed to fostering closer cooperation and strategic thinking across the renewable energy and transport sectors, particularly from the perspective of railways and delivering the urgently-needed energy transition in transport.
“There are strategic opportunities for railways and renewable energy stakeholders to work together to accelerate the paradigm shift needed for the sustainable mobility of the future,” says UIC director general, Mr François Davenne. “By becoming a member of REN21, UIC will no doubt find new ways to work collaboratively across our sectors.”
After industry and buildings, transport is the third-largest sector for energy consumption. In 2020, the transport of goods and people was responsible for 30% of the global total final energy consumption. Fossil fuels provided most of the energy consumed by the transport sector, with renewables representing only 4.1%. The transport sector reported the fastest growth in energy consumption and CO₂ emissions among combustion sectors globally in the 2010s, rising 18% overall between 2010 and 2019.
The growth in transport emissions is a significant global concern given the steep trajectory that will be needed to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and limit the global increase in average temperature to 1.5°C, as stated in the Paris Agreement. More robust measures on transport are needed by 2030, including reducing vehicle-km travelled and decarbonisation. Sustainable modes of travel, such as rail and public transport, can and must play a central role in reducing the growth of private motor vehicle use. There must also be an increase in railways powered by renewable energy.
“We need to urgently bridge the gap between renewable energy and transport,” Adib told the General Assembly. “There has been an unfortunate disconnect between these two sectors, but we now see the opportunity to foster mutual understanding and collaboration that best addresses regional and local challenges. Our partnership with UIC will be fundamental in demonstrating that railways are key strategic allies for transport decarbonisation and, more importantly, systemic enablers for the inclusive transition to renewables.”
By design, due to a combination of electrification, low friction, and high-capacity collective travel for both passengers and freight, rail is inherently energy-efficient. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), on a “well-to-wheels” (wing/wake) basis, rail emissions per passenger-km are currently on average around one-sixth of air travel. Railways are also very low emitters of other air polluters such as nitrous oxides and fine particulate matter.
Emissions from electrified rail are even lower, particularly when powered by renewables. Railways are already the most electrified mode of transport with almost half of the energy used supplied by electricity. European railways are the most electrified in the world: within the 27 European Union (EU) countries, 56% of lines are electrified, including those that carry the most traffic. Asia is close behind at over 43%. Nearly 15% of lines in Africa are electrified although less than 1% of all lines are in the Americas.
Modal shift
Given its environmental advantages, the most powerful contribution that rail can offer the climate is to continue to take more traffic away from road and air. Electrification of lorries and cars is necessary to stop fossil fuel dependency but will not be sufficient to meet the Paris Agreement targets for transport. Studies show that steps toward avoiding the need to travel or shifting to lower-emitting modes can account for 40-60% of the required transport emission reductions, often at lower cost than strategies to electrify high-emitting modes.
Rapid increases in global energy prices and the growing insecurity of energy supply have been an additional talking point in the climate debate over the past 18 months or so. The fact that railways are often large - and even the largest - consumers of electricity and diesel fuel in their respective countries, with transport demand matching peak energy demand times, means that railways have both the responsibility and opportunity to reduce the consumption of fossil fuel energy as well as their own greenhouse gas emissions.
Given the critical link between energy and railways, there are significant opportunities to mutually reinforce decarbonisation by pursuing the greater adoption of renewables while expanding and modernising railways.
Various railways are now investing and partnering with renewable energy companies to install new or additional facilities.
Recently, REN21 and UIC, working alongside other key transport partners, published a white paper that explains how to accelerate these transitions by integrating the planning of transport and energy demand.
Since railways can provide predictable demand for electricity, the joint development of renewable electricity and public transport infrastructure can optimise investment in both sectors, unlock economic sectors to justify investment, and jointly accelerate renewable energy and transport transitions. For instance, increasing the share of variable renewable electricity such as solar and wind requires increased grid flexibility. Electrified railways can offer the required flexibility to the grid in the form of predictable load management, demand-side management, and battery storage.
Various railways are now investing and partnering with renewable energy companies to install new or additional facilities, either on railway property or on neighbouring land. Many railways have also set ambitious targets for the self-generation of renewable energy to supply power, both to stations and railway infrastructure.
The Ethio-Djibouti Railway is a great example of the multiple benefits brought by electrifying railway corridors in Africa. Inaugurated in 2018, the fully-electrified 760km line gives sea port access to landlocked Ethiopia, carrying over 2 million tonnes of freight per year. This line is powered by new hydroelectric plants that generate enough energy to reduce the overall per-unit cost, making rail freight competitive with diesel-powered lorries. This modal shift also reduces fuel costs and dependency as well as avoiding the release of 144,000 tonnes of CO₂.
As part of its commitment to sustainable development, Italian State Railways (FS) is investing €1.6bn in an ambitious plan to produce its own energy. FS will install photovoltaic plants with a capacity of 2GW across property assets such as stations, railway workshops, warehouses, industrial areas, and offices. The plants will produce 2.6 TWh of electricity per year, meeting 40% of FS’ needs and eliminating 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
Railway electrification is a central component of India’s goal to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and for Indian Railways (IR) to become the largest green railway in the world. IR’s network is now 91% electrified after a rapid programme of upgrades. The railway is also actively connecting with solar farms on adjacent land, taking a further step towards decarbonisation.
These examples emphasise that the renewable energy and railway sectors can be partners and joint funders of renewable energy projects. As allies, they can act as target-setters, planners and standard-setters for renewables in transport. The purchasing power of public transport can also drive demand for generating renewable power directly for the sector. There are capital investment needs, but cost savings can be achieved in an acceptable payback period. Reducing the exposure to changes in the wholesale energy market as well as supporting decarbonisation strategies is another attraction.
Railway and public transport infrastructure can also act as the backbone of energy grids through their well-connected networks in cities, and between cities, industry and ports. Railway and public transport operators are typically major land and building owners so they can use their property and infrastructure to co-locate renewable energy production and storage. This can lay the foundation for renewable energy integration into other transport modes such as private electric vehicles, taxis, car sharing/pooling or micro-mobility charging infrastructure at stations. And in countries where access to clean and reliable energy is limited, these networks can provide corridors to distribute energy and connect people, supporting decentralised energy production and distribution.
Where diesel-operated railway services struggle to make a business case for electrification, partnering with renewable energy suppliers can increase the viability of these projects. Railways, if connected as open grids, can also provide a source of renewable power to residential and commercial buildings, potentially creating new sources of revenue for the sector.
Implementing such schemes requires the coordination of different sectors and new actors, as well as new sources of finance. More ambitious national targets and policies will be needed. And the repurposing of international and national financing away from fossil fuel-based transport towards sustainable, low-carbon modes is fundamental.
COP28
REN21 and UIC, in partnership with other transport actors, have moved this forward at decisive global events such as the COP28 summit, which took place in December in Dubai and where REN21 and UIC shared exhibition space, aligning their advocacy work. Several important commitments were made during the global climate summit, including a groundbreaking step in co-initiating the joint call to action to double the share of energy-efficient and fossil-free forms of land transport by 2030.
This ambitious goal is aligned with global efforts to combat climate change and promote the development and adoption of sustainable transport solutions. The initiative garnered endorsement from Chile, Colombia, and more than 60 multi-stakeholder organisations and was featured in the COP28 summary of transport day.
The UAE Consensus, the output document of COP 28, featured important commitments to triple renewables and double energy efficiency. It also included a text on transport, which for the first time acknowledged the need to “accelerate the reduction of emissions from road transport on a range of pathways.”
The international community has the power to support and enable collective acceleration of energy and transport transition, and UIC and REN21 will continue to advocate in favour of shifting traffic to rail, the most sustainable mode of transport.
