One of the oldest forms of public transit — trains — may soon assist one of the newest sources of public energy: solar power.Â
Swiss startup Sun-ways has developed a way to install removable solar panels between the rails of train tracks. Now, the company has been given the green light from Switzerland's Federal Office of Transport to pilot the system on active train lines for the first time, PV Magazine reported.
Here's the plan: Sun-ways will place 48 panels along a 100-meter (about 328 feet) section of rail in the Neuchâtel region that is managed by transN, the transit group in the area. Combined, the system will generate 18 kilowatts of electricity that will be fed into the local electric grid to power homes, per PV Magazine.
According to the outlet, this solar-rail concept faced extra precautions and inspections from the Federal Office of Transport before approval due to concerns about the regular maintenance needs of railways. That's why the pilot system supports panels that can be easily removed as needed.
"Indeed, it exploits an unused space without disrupting train traffic or maintenance and inspection work on the tracks," the company said, per PV Magazine.
Each panel can also be installed manually or by using a special machine that can place 1,000 square meters (3,280 square feet) of solar panels per day. However, the real beauty of the system lies in the fact that it can lower costs of the entire region's utility bill by stocking up the grid's power supply.Â
Not only that, but public solar projects like this one — that transition a region away from electricity sourced from polluting fuel and toward a clean energy future — are one of the best ways to protect the planet from further overheating.
If the pilot is a success, Sun-ways could have room to grow in Switzerland, given that the country has over 3,240 miles (5,200 kilometers) of railroad, and a vast network across Europe lies beyond that.
For now, though, the startup is focused on the pilot installation.
"This will be the first time that solar panels will be installed on a railway track with trains that pass over them," CEO Joseph Scuderi told SWI swissinfo.ch.
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