Swiss pilot to install solar panels in-between railway tracks

A Switzerland based start-up has received permission from local authorities to build an 18kW, 100-metre-long removable solar PV plant between railway tracks in the country’s west.

Switzerland’s Federal Office of Transport (BAV) has authorised start-up Sun-Ways to lay down 100-metres of solar panels between the railway tracks in the municipality of Buttes.

Sun-Ways announced that it had received authorisation on its LinkedIn account over the weekend, revealing that it hopes to install the pilot project in the Northern spring of 2025.

The pilot project will consist of 48 solar panels of 380W and will be installed in a section of railway near the Buttes station. Sun-Ways expects the 18kW solar plant will generate around 16,000kWh of clean power each year.

The BAV initially rejected a pilot project, citing a lack of technical references and seeking to take a precautionary approach to protect the railway lines. However, following two independent reviews of the technology, the BAV reassessed the technology before authorising the pilot building permit. The solar installation can reportedly withstand the passage of trains travelling at speeds of up to 150km/h and winds of up to 240km/h.

Sun-Ways also claims that the solar panels can either be installed manually, or by using a mechanised railway machine developed by Swiss track maintenance company Scheuchzer which is capable of rolling out up to 1,000 m² of solar panels per day.

Just as importantly as the speed with which these solar panels can be laid down, they are also removable, a necessity if the technology is to be successfully used in conjunction with rail, given the regular need for maintenance of the tracks.  

Sun-Ways will be partnered by local electricity provider Viteos and railway electrical infrastructure company DG-Rail.

Sun-Ways also says that it is working on other pilot projects as widespread as France, Spain, Romania, and South Korea, while discussions are also apparently underway with potential partners in China, Thailand, Australia, and the United States.  

The company has also begun working with owners of private, closed railway lines. The municipality of Aigle, in the country’s southwest, has reportedly agreed to carry out a feasibility study into the installation of a 288kW Sun-Ways solar power plant on a 1,500m section of private railway line.