Could Solar Railway Tracks Revolutionise Renewable Energy?

November 7, 2024

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.”


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