French national railway company SNCF will begin testing electricity generation using photovoltaic panels placed between rail lines, following an agreement with Swiss firm Sun-Ways. The announcement, made in a press release, details a collaboration to evaluate the feasibility of integrating solar energy production into existing rail infrastructure.
Sun-Ways has been operating a small-scale photovoltaic installation within a rail yard since April of last year, near the Buttes station in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. The installation comprises 48 panels covering approximately 100 meters of track, generating 18 kWp of power and an estimated 16,000 kWh annually, which is fed into the public grid. Around thirty trains pass over the panels daily, traveling at speeds of 90 km/h, according to the company.
The Swiss startup was the first in the world to install solar panels in a functioning railway line. The panels are designed for easy installation and removal, a key feature for maintenance access. The project, which cost 585,000 Swiss francs (approximately 16 million Czech crowns), utilizes factory-prefabricated solar panels from Switzerland, each measuring one meter in width and secured with a piston mechanism.
While SNCF has not yet specified the route for its trials, the tests will assess the impact of the panels on the railway superstructure. Sun-Ways is currently conducting a three-year testing period to evaluate panel coating durability, pollution effects, and the overall influence of the system on the rail infrastructure. Data collected will determine the safety of operating railways with removable solar panels mounted between the rails.
Other countries are also exploring similar technologies. Greenrail, an Italian firm, and Bankset Energy, based in England, are both testing photovoltaic components on railway sleepers. However, Sun-Ways holds a patent for a removable system developed in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). “It will be the first time that solar panels are installed on a railway track that trains will be running on,” said Joseph Scuderi, CEO of Sun-Ways.
According to the Swiss Federal Transport Office, the removable photovoltaic installation received approval in October 2024, following a period of testing and analysis. The technology has the potential to generate significant amounts of electricity; estimates suggest that railways could produce enough power to supply up to 300,000 households.
