Solar panels will cover the railway in Switzerland: details of the amazing project

The innovative solution will make it possible to use the “empty” space without disrupting train movements and without interfering with maintenance and track inspection work.

Swiss start-up Sun-ways intends to install an 18kW pilot photovoltaic system along a 100m stretch of railway in Neuchâtel to test removable solar panels between the tracks. It reports Interesting Engineering.

According to the company, amid the heated debate surrounding the installation of solar power plants in the Alps, their technology is a viable solution that allows for the use of unfilled space without disrupting train services and without interfering with maintenance and track inspection work, as well as contributing to a significant increase in solar energy production .

The company explained that the solar modules can be installed manually or mechanically using a specialized rail machine designed by Scheuchzer SA, capable of installing up to 1,000 square meters. of solar panels per day. The system is also designed to be removable, allowing for maintenance when necessary.

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The permit from the Swiss Federal Transport Authority contains a number of technical conditions, such as the implementation of additional tests and measurements during the operation of the pilot project to ensure that there is no adverse impact on the railway infrastructure. The federal agency also issued a permit to install the nation's first mobile solar power plant on a rail line.

Initially, in the summer of 2023, the Federal Transportation Administration rejected the project due to a lack of technical recommendations for the proposed technology. Then, with the support of industrial partners, Sun-ways brought in two mechanics professors from the University of Engineering and Management of the Canton of Vaud (HEIG-VD). These professors conducted an independent evaluation of the specially designed prototypes.

Geste Engineering, a Swiss firm specializing in large-scale railway projects, then conducted a technical and safety analysis. The goal was to confirm that the system fully meets the Federal Transportation Administration's safety standards, as the pilot plant will be located on an active rail line.