Photovoltaic panels are now being transported by cableway

Could solar power be used in rail transport?

By 2030, PV installations in rail transportation could produce around 12 TWh of electricity, accounting for around 6% of the sector’s total energy consumption. Railways typically own their rights-of-way and control access to their land, making it relatively straightforward to install solar equipment.

How much solar energy can a rail network produce?

Sun-Ways says the national rail network could produce 1 Terawatt-hour (TWh) of solar energy per year, or about 2% of the electricity consumed in Switzerland. The start-up’s goal is not limited to the Alpine country.

Can solar panels be used on railway tracks?

Sun-Ways, a small start-up based in the Western Swiss town of Ecublens, has found yet another option. The space between the rails of railway tracks is large enough to place standard-sized solar panels without obstructing the movement of trains, says co-founder Baptiste Danichert. "This way we could produce some of the electricity we need," he says.

Can photovoltaic panels be used in road freight transport?

If we think about road freight transport, integrating photovoltaic panels onto vehicles can help meet various needs, from larger installations such as those covering the roofs of trailers to power refrigeration units, to smaller units applied to a tractor's spoiler to keep the battery charged.

Could solar panels be installed on the Swiss rail network?

Theoretically, solar panels could be installed on all 5,317 kilometres of the Swiss rail network for a total area corresponding to about 760 football fields, excluding areas in tunnels or ones exposed to little sunshine.

Which companies are testing a photovoltaic system on railway sleepers?

Two other companies, Italy's Greenrail and England's Bankset Energy, are testing photovoltaic elements installed on railway sleepers. However, Sun-Ways is the first to have patented a removable system, in collaboration with EPFL, the Swiss federal technology institute in Lausanne. "That is the innovation," says Danichert.