We see that train a comin/Solar panels between the rails/We better get some sunshine/to energize this tale.
Apologies for taking liberties to the Johnny Cash classic, “Folsom Prison Blues,” but a new renewable energy development in Switzerland has inspired some to think differently about laying tracks. The new tune is about solar panels laid on 100 linear meters of the route in Buttes, Neuchâtel, giving a whole new meaning to e-mobility.
A company called Sun-Ways received Swiss federal approval to install 48 380-watt solar panels along the line 221 of the national rail. During the planned three-year pilot phase, Sun-Ways hopes to generate close to 16,000 kWh annually from the linear array, injecting the electric current into the local network.
It’s just the beginning, according to Sun-Ways.
“Other pilot projects are taking shape with the SNCF in France, but also in Spain, Romania and South Korea, and discussions are already underway with potential partners in China, Thailand, Australia and the United States,” according to the company’s website announcement.
This method of solar installation between railway tracks does not take any additional land such as typical solar farms, Sun-Ways noted. Some 260,000 square kilometers of space are available between railways in Europe alone, according to the company.
Renewable energy experts were calling it the first-ever solar power plant within operational train tracks. Nearly all of Switzerland’s 5,200-kilometer (3,200 miles) national rail network is electrified.
Sun-Ways spent about four years developing the technology breakthrough and gaining Swiss government and railway operator approval.
“Integrating photovoltaics into the railway sector is not easy, as the sector is highly regulated. However, a pragmatic technical development strategy based on taking into account the constraints related to railway maintenance and operation from the outset has allowed us to arrive at a technology that meets these expectations,” reads the outline on the company’s home page. “We are therefore working closely with industry players to align our technology with the most demanding infrastructure standards and safety regulations.”
Swiss track maintenance expert firm Scheuchzer SA assisted Sun-Ways in the solar installation process. The solar panels are installed in a way to make removal easy enough so as not to interrupt rail operations, according to reports.
The pilot project is tested and approved as safe for trains running as fast as 150 kilometers per hour, according to Sun-Ways.
