As of January 1st, 100% of Dutch trains are now powered entirely by wind energy. The Dutch railway company, NS, is the world’s first railway company to get 100% of its energy from wind turbines. Leave it to the Europeans to make train travel, already the most environmentally friendly way to travel, even better. (The Dutch have been using wind energy since the 17th century.)

From the article:

“Energy company Eneco provides NS the energy to transport 600.000 people per day. That’s 1.200.000 train trips per day without any CO2 emissions.

NS requires 1.2B kWh of wind-powered energy per year, which is the same amount all households in Amsterdam consume per year. The partnership with NS, allowed Eneco to invest substantially in the expansion of its wind turbine parks.”

NS has also committed to lowering their energy consumption by 2% per year.

More from the article:

 

(Watch how the CEO of NS, Rogier van Boxter, gets strapped to a blade of an old Dutch windmill to illustrate the relationship between trains and wind energy. Sorry we couldn’t find it in English, but you get the point! Source: YouTube NS)

Using Wind Power Makes Economic Sense

Wind power just makes good economic sense:

  • Onshore wind is the cheapest form of new power generation in Europe today: the wind in Europe accounts for €67bn+ annual turnover and 255,000 jobs.
  • Offshore wind is rapidly reducing costs and will play a central role in Europe’s power mix going forward, according to Wind Europe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAKMqJn1dak

Source: Bright Vibes