Local resistance and limited space have stalled solar expansion in Switzerland – but a new rail-based solution could shift the momentum
A Swiss firm is on track to solve the conundrum of where to site industrial solar farms, by turning railways into power plants.
Switzerland needs to boost solar energy output seven-fold by 2035 to meet climate goals, but a scarcity of land available for large-scale PV plants poses a serious hurdle to scaling up.
Concerns over land use, aesthetics and environmental impact have mired solar projects in controversy, with as many as a third proposed for construction in the Alps derailed by local opposition, red tape or funding woes.
Now bright sparks at solar developer Sun-Ways have come up with a solution that exploits some of Switzerland’s 5,000km (3,100 miles) of railway line: solar panels that slot between the tracks.
Its world-first railtrack solar farm was switched on in April, observed by delegates from France, Belgium, Israel, Indonesia and South Korea who have shown an interest in adopting the tech.
The test site – in western Switzerland’s mountainous Neuchâtel canton – is made up of 48 panels capable of generating an annual 16k kWh, roughly equivalent to the yearly output of four domestic rooftop arrays. Also showcased at the switch-on was a machine developed by track maintenance firm Scheuchzer SA that can lay as many as 150 of Sun-Ways’ panels an hour.
A machine can lay some 150 solar panels per hour between the tracks
Sun-Ways founder Joseph Scuderi’s lightbulb moment came in 2020 as he stood on a station platform and noticed the unused space between the train tracks.
He said he had overcome a ‘mountain of obstacles’ to bring his five-year dream to fruition, but stressed the innovation shouldn’t be viewed as a competitor to other PV installations.
On the railways, you just need to convince a few key people in each territory to quickly install thousands of square metres of solar panels
“We’re just complementary,” he told Positive News. “Ideally, all homeowners should put solar panels on their roofs. But for that to happen, we need to convince hundreds of millions of people. On the railways, you just need to convince a few key people in each territory to quickly install thousands of square metres of solar panels.”
A three-year testing period is now under way to determine how the panels stand up to passing trains, and whether they impact railway infrastructure and operations.
Rolled out across Switzerland’s rail network, the innovation could generate enough electricity to power up to 30,000 households. “This is just the beginning,” said Scuderi. “We’re already working with the HES-SO Valais [University] on a railway Smart Grid to supply trains directly with solar energy.”
Photography: sun-ways.ch
-
30 %
of Swiss public transport’s electricity needs could be met by installing solar panels on the country’s 5,000km of track -
200 k
tonnes of CO2 could be saved annually -
3 %
of Switzerland’s energy transition target would be met -
1,000,000 sq km
of unused land currently lies between railway tracks worldwide
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