From pv magazine Germany
Swiss startup Sun-Ways is currently developing PV systems that can be placed between railroad tracks. It is working on a project that is scheduled to go online in May 2023. It consists of a mechanically detachable PV plant that will occupy a track section owned by Swiss railway operator Transports Publics Neuchâtelois SA.
The company developed the mechanical concept in cooperation with the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse. It said the PV system can be pre-assembled in a factory and then loaded onto a special train. The solar modules are then rolled out like a carpet between the tracks. The PV system can also be removed at any time to enable maintenance work.
If the solution works, the potential in Switzerland alone is enormous, the company said, noting that the country has a railway network spanning almost 7,000 kilometers. Up to 1 TWh of solar power could be generated in this way, it claimed.
Sun-Ways is also looking beyond its home market. It noted that there is a rail network of around 260,000 kilometers across Europe and about 1.16 million kilometers throughout the world. It said it has already made contact with unspecified investors in Europe and the United States about offering its solution on an industrial scale.
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No, not again, please… Horizontal panels don’t clean themselves, remain covered in snow; all the trains running above will drop grease and oil on it. Plus vibrations and heat loads… Why, why do some people search for places where to put panels if we already have aplenty?
Grease and oil are not quite as much of a problem in Switzerland because the trains there are 100% electric so the tracks are a magnitude cleaner than places where diesel trains operate. As for cleaning, it can obviously be accomplished by a robot cleaner running on the tracks. Seriously, this innovation could be a terrific innovation that may get replicated elsewhere. Only possible glitch is vibration effect on electrical contacts.
This sounds more feasible than solar roadways which has many issues that this system avoids. There is a possibly of contamination with diesel and obviously leaves and snow/dirt. A maintenance train could blast air or occasionally water over the panels to clear debris/snow. The key is going to be the total energy budget from manufacture to end of life. Being flat is far from ideal in northern latitudes. Unlike solar roadways there should be minimum abrasion or risk of damage. The devil is in the details but those details would be interesting once this system is independently evaluated.