Could Solar Railway Tracks Revolutionise Renewable Energy?
A pioneering approach towards renewable energy is unfolding as a Swiss start-up rolls out an innovative way to capture solar power by placing photovoltaic (PV) panels on railway tracks.
Due for a trial phase starting in spring 2025, this inventive system will be observed over three years in the western canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Solar tracks on a global scale
Though starting on a modest scale, the company behind this trailblazing technology, Sun-Ways, has ambitious plans.
"There are over a million kilometres of railway lines in the world," Sun-Ways co-founder Baptiste Danichert said last year. “We believe that 50% of the world's railways could be equipped with our system.”
This project leverages the extensive network of more than 500,000 miles of railway lines worldwide.
The drive to innovate in solar panel installation isn't limited to railways.
Recent years have seen developers lay panels on various unique surfaces such as roadsides, reservoirs and agricultural lands.
Among these innovations, Sun-Ways stands out by patenting the first removable system, collaborating with EPFL, the Swiss federal technology institute based in Lausanne.
“This will be the first time that solar panels will be installed on a railway track with trains that pass over them,” Sun-Ways CEO Joseph Scuderi said.
The removable innovation is a crucial one since railway tracks need to be cleared from time to time for essential maintenance work.
Solar railway tracks: The process
How are these solar panels laid down on the tracks?
A specialised train, developed by Swiss track maintenance company Scheuchzer, is at the heart of the operation.
This train is equipped with a piston mechanism that unfolds the one-metre-wide preassembled panels, which are manufactured in a Swiss factory.
Remarkably, it is capable of installing up to 1,000 square metres of panels per day.
Demonstrating the system's potential, the initial phase involves fitting 48 panels along a 100-metre section of track managed by transN, the canton's public transportation company. This comes with a cost of roughly €623,000.
Any electricity generated from these panels will be linked into the power grid and used for residential electricity. Directing this energy into railway operations would necessitate a more complex integration process.
Potential hurdles and adjustments
The journey to actualising this innovative project has not been without its hurdles.
Initially, the Federal Office of Transport had reservations, leading to a temporary rejection. However, after 10 months committed to building and testing prototypes, Sun-Ways successfully secured the requisite permits to proceed.
Furthermore, the International Union of Railways has raised concerns that the panels may be prone to micro-cracks, could ramp up the risk of fires and might distract train drivers with reflections.
Sun-Ways has addressed these challenges by reinforcing the durability of their panels and implementing an anti-reflection filter to avoid impairing train drivers’ vision.
In addition, Sun-Ways promises that integrated sensors will monitor the panels' performance rigorously. To maintain the panels' effectiveness, brushes attached to the end of trains will clear off any accumulating dirt.
Sun-Ways also forecasts a bright future for this technology beyond the initial experiment.
Should this system be implemented across Switzerland's 5,317km railway network, it could blanket an area equivalent to 760 football fields in photovoltaic cells.
Annually, this could yield approximately 1TWh of solar energy, accounting for around 2% of Switzerland’s total energy consumption.
The company is also eyeing expansion into Spain, Romania and South Korea.
Lubomila Jordanova, CEO & Founder Plan A and Co-Founder Greentech Alliance, writing on LinkedIn, said: “This system uses the vast network of underutilised railway tracks for solar energy generation, creating a highly scalable, efficient, and environmentally friendly way to produce clean power.
“A key advantage of this innovation is that it capitalises on existing infrastructure, eliminating the need for acquiring additional land for solar farms.
“Europe alone has over 200,000km of railway tracks, representing a significant opportunity for energy production.”
“If just 10% of these tracks were equipped with solar panels, it could generate enough electricity to power approximately 300,000 homes annually.
“Using existing railway tracks minimises the environmental impact compared to building new solar farms on undeveloped land. This aligns with growing global priorities for reducing the environmental footprint of energy projects and meeting carbon reduction targets.”
Make sure you check out the latest edition of Energy Digital Magazine and also sign up to our global conference series - Sustainability LIVE 2024
Energy Digital is a BizClik brand
