Environmental measures

Expansion of renewable energies in traction current

Building a diversified portfolio for economically viable and secure energy supply with a growing share of renewable energies is a core element of our green strategy. Power purchase agreements (PPA) have become an integral component of procurement activities. Five new PPAs were signed in the first half of 2024:

• three newly concluded PPAs with a short- to medium-term duration, in which electricity is supplied from three onshore wind farms and one offshore wind farm;
• two newly concluded PPAs with a long-term duration, in which electricity is supplied from five hydropower plants.

A long-term supply agreement (PPA) has been concluded with Uniper for electricity supplies from four Swedish run-of-river power plants at Fjällsjöälven. For five years from 2028, eco-power amounting to about 88 GWh per year will be supplied to DB Group from the run-of-river power plants.

Strategically, DB Energy is preparing to integrate battery storage systems into the PPA portfolio. DB Energy is therefore pressing ahead with the integration of renewable energies in the German electricity market. This structure within the PPA portfolio allows the special characteristics of green electricity supplies (erratic generation, price and forecast risks) to be managed in the best possible way.

Energy supply for alternative drives

• In May 2024, DB Energy and DB InfraGO put an overhead wire island system for supplying battery-powered trains in regional rail passenger transport into operation for the first time in Heide. The system is the first of three overhead wire island systems to be built on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein to supply the local battery network. The other two commissioning phases are scheduled for the second half of 2024. In addition, planning for the construction of overhead wire island systems is being advanced in various Federal states.
• DB Energy further expanded its supply of the climate-friendly biofuel HVOin the first half of 2024: in mid-2024, HVO was available at 21 DB Energy rail filling stations.
• DB Energy is testing an innovative complete hydrogen system for the first time as part of the H2goesRail project at the innovation hub in Tübingen. DB Energy has developed a new type of mobile hydrogen filling station for this project. The green hydrogen is produced directly on-site using eco-power from the overhead wire. The hydrogen obtained in this way is then compressed, stored in a mobile storage unit and made available via a mobile filling station. Hydrogen refueling has been undergoing trials in Tübingen since the beginning of 2024. Using the H2goesRail project as a basis, DB Energy is working on the rail energy supply of the future at the innovation site in Tübingen. To this end, additional technologies and systems are also being piloted at the site. Examples include the development of what is known as the DB sector coupler, a technical interface to the overhead wire that enables renewable energies to be fed directly into the traction current grid, the use of energy storage systems and the use of AI for efficient energy management.