Switzerland Pioneers Solar-Powered Trains

Swiss trains are famous for running on time, including through the mountains and valleys of the equally famous Swiss Alps.

Now, some of those trains are powered by solar panels along the railway tracks.

train with green mountains behind_ecoxplorer.com — Photo: Travel and Tour World

The innovative system is being tested in a pilot project on a train route in Neuchâtel, which is also famous for its cheese.

This marks the first time such a system has been developed and tested in the real world, offering a new approach to harnessing solar energy in the rail industry.

Detachable Solar Carpet

Start-up Sun-Ways, in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, has patented a system of solar panels designed to fit between operational railway tracks, allowing trains to pass safely over them.

This cutting-edge technology is installed using a specialized train developed by Swiss track maintenance company Scheuchzer, which uses a piston mechanism to unroll a one-meter-wide carpet of solar panels at an impressive rate of up to 1,000 square meters per day.

What truly sets this system apart is its unique ability to be easily removed and reinstalled, addressing a major challenge in the solar industry.

Until now, the difficulty of removing panels for essential maintenance access had been a significant obstacle, but Sun-Ways seems to have overcome this barrier, offering a flexible solution for integrating solar energy into railway infrastructure.

Pilot Project Generates 16,000 kWh

There were initial concerns about the system, including the risk of panels cracking under the weight of passing trains, which could potentially lead to fire hazards or create glare issues for drivers.

Sun-Ways addressed these challenges by developing special anti-reflective surfaces and other technical aspects.

In collaboration with local electricity provider Viteos and electrical rail infrastructure company DG-Rail, Sun-Ways is set to install 48 solar panels along a 100-meter stretch of railway in Neuchâtel.

This three-year trial is set to begin in spring 2025, is projected to cost CHF 585,000 ($655,000).

The 18kW solar installation near Buttes station is expected to produce approximately 16,000kWh of renewable energy annually.

The generated electricity will be supplied to the local power grid for residential use, rather than reintegrating it into the rail system, due to the current complexities of rail energy operations.

Unlimited Potential

In the long term, the start-up’s groundbreaking technology has the potential to generate one Terawatt-hour (TWh) of solar energy annually.

This would provide 2% of Switzerland’s total energy demand by covering its 5,317 kilometers of railway tracks with solar panels—excluding tunnels, for clear reasons.

Alongside the Neuchâtel trial, a feasibility study is currently being conducted for a much larger Sun-Ways installation, 15 times longer, on a private railway line in Aigle.

The innovative technology’s potential is also attracting interest for various projects across the globe, including in Australia, China, France, Romania, Spain, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States.

Thanks to the travel trade publication Travel and Tour World for alerting us to this interesting eco-travel story.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.