A Swiss startup has launched what it claims is the world’s first removable solar power plant on a working railway line, a move that has the potential to revolutionize the global rollout of solar PV capacity.
Sun-Ways, a “linear photovolaics” expert, acquired a permit from Switzerland’s Federal Office of Transport (BAV) in October 2024 to proceed with the pilot project, which would see 100 meters of removable solar PV panels put between railway lines in the country’s west.
The 18kW solar installation comprises of 48 solar panels, each rated at 385W, that supply power into the local grid. Normal rail operations are anticipated to resume this week, with passenger trains transiting the stretch.
The term ferrovoltaïque refers to the combination of ‘ferro’ (iron railway lines) and ‘voltaïque’ (photovoltaics). Sun-Ways hopes to target the world’s 1 million km of railway rails. It says it’s negotiating trials in France, Spain, Romania, and South Korea, with prospects in Australia, China, and the United States.
‘By incorporating photovoltaics into the railway ecosystem, we can directly power trains with renewable energy, as well as power charging stations for electric vehicles, lowering CO2 emissions and enhancing the energy independence of a country’s whole public transportation system,’ the startup said.
Sun-Ways claims to have also created a system for laying and removing solar panels that are installed between railway rails.
Scheuchzer, a Swiss track maintenance firm, designed a mechanized railway vehicle capable of rolling out up to 1,000 m² of solar panels per day for installation and removal.
Sun-Ways was founded to address two key worldwide challenges: the urgent need to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and the underutilization of space in industrial infrastructure.
