Even on busy rail networks, the gap between lines can spend much of its time doing little but face skyward, so why not put that space to good use? Swiss startup Sun-Ways is looking to do just that by installing solar panels in between railway tracks.
Despite many household and business rooftops rocking solar panels, and dedicated "farms" also soaking up the Sun's energy, there's still huge potential for harvesting much more.Sun-ways is looking to tap into the estimated 1-TWh annual energy potential from the 5,000-km of railroad tracks in Switzerland by laying removable PV panels between them. The company states that this could potentially meet the electricity needs of almost a third of the country's public transport sector, while making yearly CO2 savings of more than 200,000 tons.
Each "full black" panel measures 1 x 1.7 m (3.3 x 5.5 ft) and features an anti-reflective filter to prevent glare. This is mounted as a multi-array format in a frame where all components and wiring are housed within. The current setup is designed to fit track gauges of 1.43 m (4.6 ft), though this can be adapted for non-standard installations.
The multi-panel modules can be installed and connected manually by engineers, but railway maintenance company Scheuchzer SA has developed a machine capable of installing up to 1,000 m2 of Sun-Ways panel arrays per day.
The "solar power plant" has been designed so that the panel modules can be temporarily removed while railway engineers perform track maintenance, and then put back down when work has been completed. And the setup has been tested for stability for trains passing overhead at up to 150 km/h (93 mph), and can withstand 240-km/h (150 mph) winds. More of this article (New Atlas) - link - more like this (solar power) - link - more like this (Switzerland) - link
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