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Swiss Company Plans to Install Solar Panels on Train Tracks: Learn How This Innovation Can Transform Sustainability in the Rail Sector and Generate Clean Energy Efficiently.
Solar energy is everywhere; however, it is appearing in an even more unusual location. The Swiss startup Sun-Ways is installing solar panels on train tracks, an available and underutilized space. Solar energy on tracks is expected to meet the demand of one-third of public transportation across the country.
Solar Energy on Train Tracks Can Withstand Winds of 240 km/h
A pilot project to install solar panels on train tracks has been approved and is set to begin in 2025. Sun-Ways’ idea was to utilize an underutilized space to further increase the generation of renewable energy.
The startup will install solar energy on train tracks in Switzerland. The solar panels measure 1 meter by 1.7 meters and have an anti-reflective filter to avoid glare. The solar panels on train tracks conform to the shape of the track for easy installation and removal but can also be adapted for non-standard structures.
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The design was developed so that the solar panels can be removed during railway maintenance and then reinstalled.
Tests have shown that the solar energy structure on train tracks can support trains passing over them at speeds of up to 150 km/h and winds of 240 km/h. It is expected that snow will reduce the solar generation efficiency of the panels. In this case, the startup plans to install brushes capable of cleaning dirt.
What Is the Purpose of Solar Panels on Train Tracks?
The solar energy panels on train tracks can be installed manually; however, to make the work even easier, the startup created a machine capable of fitting up to 1,000 square meters of solar panels per day.
The startup’s initiative is expected to meet the electricity needs of nearly one-third of the public transportation sector in Switzerland, avoiding the emission of more than 200,000 tons of CO2. Solar energy on train tracks can also be used to power nearby infrastructures, such as switches or stations.
The company had to submit a request to the Federal Office of Transport of Switzerland, the agency responsible for regulating this type of project. Initially, the plan was denied; however, the necessary corrections were made, and approval was granted for a pilot project over a 100-meter stretch. There will be about 48 solar panels on train tracks in 2025, with a capacity to generate 18 kWp. During the test, trains will run at 70 km/h.
In 2023, the startup proposed making use of the space between the train tracks, promising to transform 1.3 million kilometers of railway routes into solar-powered electrical plants. Sun-Ways conducted a series of tests to prove the project’s technical viability.
Solar Energy on Tracks Can Generate Up to 1 TWh
For Baptiste Danichert, co-founder of Sun-Ways, Switzerland’s railway networks can generate about 1 TWh of electricity annually through solar energy on train tracks. This corresponds to 30% of the total electricity consumption of public transport companies in the country.
Load and temperature expansion tests on the tracks will still be conducted in the pilot project, and after this phase is completed, Sun-Ways will proceed with implementation on a longer line.
The installation of the solar plant and electrical connections to the local grid will be carried out in the spring of 2025 by Viteos, an energy distributor in the canton of Neuchâtel, and by DG-Rail, a company specializing in railway electrical installations.
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