Extreme Situations
When extreme weather looms, municipalities and power companies are faced with tough decisions on how to keep communities safe. In areas of the country prone to wildfires or other natural disasters, officials may decide to institute a region-wide public safety power shutoff to lower the risk of power line ignition from airborne tree limbs or other objects. When the extreme weather event is over, local ground crews must conduct visual inspections of the lines before power can be restored.
While these power shutoffs keep first responders safe and prevent further wildfires, they can leave communities, businesses and essential infrastructure without power for an indefinite period of time. Extended power outages can disrupt essential transit for rail lines covering vast regions of the country, creating barriers to commuters and local supply chains. Maintaining operation of essential rail lines can help a region begin to recover after a wildfire or power outage.
RedHawk Energy has two standby power solutions to help railroads and transit agencies stay up and running during public safety power shutoffs. These solutions are low-maintenance, clean-burning power sources that can keep rail signaling and communications equipment operational during an outage.
1. Stirling Engine Generators
RedHawk Energy is proud to supply Qnergy’s PowerGen Series Stirling Engines generators. These generators are designed to operate in remote and rugged environments, making them an ideal solution for isolated rail locations prone to extreme weather. A centuries-old technology, updated and innovated for modern use, these Stirling engine generators can operate with low-cost fuels like propane delivering clean power from 1.8kW to 5.6kW for more than 80,000 hours. The PowerGen Stirling engine has fewer moving parts than traditional kinematic Stirling engines and no direct-contact points requiring lubrication, making it a low-maintenance and long-life technology.
How Do They Work?
When a local power supply is shut off, the PowerGen Stirling Engine will be signaled to start via a transfer switch or relay driver. Qnergy’s Free-Piston Stirling Engine generator can transform virtually any heat source into electricity. Once heat is applied to the Free-Piston Stirling engine, the heat exchangers maintain a temperature differential, causing the helium to shuttle back and forth inside the engine, expanding and contracting. The oscillating helium drives the linear reciprocating motion of the piston, which, through an integral linear alternator, directly converts the reciprocating motion of the piston into electrical power.
Once power has been restored, the PowerGen Stirling engine will return to stand-by mode. Operations can be monitored remotely and units require a one-hour annual inspection.
To learn more about how our customers have utilized Stirling engine generators, view the case studies section of our product page.
2. Fuel Cells
RedHawk Energy has been an industry leader in fuel cell technology for more than 25 years. In the past decade we have dramatically increased our supply of Fuel Cells for critical backup power requirements. Fuel Cells are a technology that is versatile, reliable, and accessible – essential variables in a natural disaster or power outage. Currently, we offer our customers both Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Alkaline Fuel Cells.
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Available at 250W up to 1.25kW, our Solid Oxide Fuel Cells are powered by clean, accessible propane and can provide days, weeks, or even months of reliable, clean backup power for critical rail infrastructure during a power outage. With our P250i SOFC, just two BBQ-style propane tanks can provide 130-160 hours of run time and require minimal maintenance.
Alkaline Fuel Cells
Our 5kW Alkaline Fuel Cells are powered by industrial hydrogen or ammonia. In a similar manner to the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, an Alkaline Fuel Cell can provide days, weeks or months of reliable, zero emissions backup power for critical rail infrastructure.
How Do They Work?
Both the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and the Alkaline Fuel cell utilize a non-polluting electrochemical process to generate electricity, emitting only water and heat as byproducts. They differ in their initial power sources – propane for the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and hydrogen or ammonia for its alkaline counterpart. Both fuel cells can sit in standby mode for months to years while maintaining battery voltage, requiring no ongoing maintenance. They can operate in extreme temperatures and can be monitored remotely. The unit powers on automatically when needed and returns to standby mode when regional power sources are restored.
Over the last decade, RedHawk Energy has deployed over 1,500 Solid Oxide fuel cells for rail customers across the US & Canada delivering dependable and efficient supplemental power for highway crossings, rail signals, and more. For more information on individual case studies, visit our Fuel Cells Products page.
Contact Us
If your rail lines run through or near wildfire-prone regions, it’s essential to develop a proactive plan for a public safety power shutoff. Our RedHawk Energy team has the expertise and experience to help you identify the standby power source that will best meet your needs. Investing in reliable backup energy sources today can help your company save time, labor resources and money in the long run. To learn more, contact our RedHawk Energy team today.