Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world. Going beyond rooftop installations or large power plants, various innovations are emerging to harness the power of sunlight. One such recent initiative is being developed by startup Sun-Ways, which will install removable solar panels along railway tracks in Switzerland.
The pilot project will begin on the public railway system of Western Switzerland, near Buttes station. The pre-assembled panels are one meter wide, positioned directly between the tracks, and secured to the rails using a piston mechanism. The units are removable, and a custom-built machine developed by the company is used to mechanically install and remove them. It is “like unrolling a carpet,” says Sun-Ways.
According to the startup, all electricity produced by the photovoltaic system will go directly into the power grid to supply homes, as using it for the railway operations themselves would be a more complex process.
Among the potential drawbacks of the new product are the risk of micro-cracks in the panels, an increased risk of fire in surrounding green areas, and glare that could distract train drivers. However, Sun-Ways assures that its panel model is more durable than conventional ones and can be equipped with an anti-glare filter to prevent accidents. Other improvements are currently under development.
Potential
The Swiss railway network spans a total of 5,317 kilometers. In this scenario, the photovoltaic cells would cover an area equivalent to 760 soccer fields. If the entire network were covered with solar panels—excluding tunnels and areas with low sunlight—the system could produce 1 Terawatt-hour of solar energy per year. This is equivalent to 30% of the energy consumed by public transit companies in Switzerland and 2% of the country's total electricity needs.
Sun-Ways also plans to expand its reach to other parts of Europe in the coming years, including neighboring Germany, Austria, and Italy, as well as the United States and Asia. “We believe that 50% of the world's railways could be equipped with our system,” co-founder Baptiste Danichert told the news website Swissinfo.
The project is scheduled to begin operations in May 2023.
Via CicloVivo.
This article was written by Marcia Sousa. The translation is powered by AI.
