Ingeteam and Istem are to install an advanced energy-recovery system in the Barcelona Metro.

Trains not only consume energy, but also produce it during braking. The technology developed by Ingeteam puts this braking energy to good use, making it possible to recover between 10-30% of railway traction energy.

The system is to be installed in an L9 traction substation of the Barcelona Metro. In 2014 the Barcelona train network served more than 415 million passengers.

This system has already been installed in Bilbao, Malaga, and the German city of Bielefeld, while installation and commissioning work is also underway in the Brussels metro.

30% of the total energy recovered in the Bilbao metro is used for station facilities, such as lighting and escalators, while the remaining 70% is returned to the grid. Thanks to this technology, the metro recovers enough annual power to be consumed by 1,500 families.