Powering London’s Underground: 9 Surprising Tube Energy Facts

Tube Energy Facts

1. No. of km travelled in one year (km): 83,600,000 KM (52,000,000 Miles)
2. Avg. train speed (kph): 33 kph (21 mph)
3. Total Annual Energy Usage (terawatt hours): 1.2
4. No. of solar panels needed to power London underground: 5,647,059
5. Space solar panels to power the London Underground would take up (square km): 11.29 (Around the size of the London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea)
6. No. of wind turbines needed to power London underground: 200
7. Wind turbine space (sq km): 26.41 (Around the same size as the London Borough of Lambeth)
8. Total energy saved per hour during peak hours if 45% of London’s commuters work from home after lockdown: 467,195.38 kWh
9. Total number of potential London homes powered based on potential energy saved post-lockdown: 46,088.19

Sources:

• https://www.ewea.org/wind-energy-basics/faq/
• https://www.renewablesfirst.co.uk/windpower/community-windpower/location-size-no-of-wind-turbines/
• https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/land-area-and-population-density-ward-and-borough
• https://madeby.tfl.gov.uk/2019/07/29/tube-trivia-and-facts/
• https://www.wired.co.uk/article/london-underground-tfl-green-energy
• https://www.space.com/17638-how-big-is-earth.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_London
• https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/output/datasets/businessimpactofcovid19surveybics
• https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/news/articles/half-workers-expect-work-more-flexibly-post-lockdown-survey