Switzerland Is Putting Solar Panels on Railway Tracks

Start-up Sun-Ways has collaborated with the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne for a pilot project testing the panels on a section of rail near Buttes in Western Switzerland. If rolled out to the country’s entire 5,000km rail network, they could supply 2% of Switzerland’s electricity. Sun-Ways believes 50% of the world’s railways could be equipped with its system. The solar panels are a meter wide and cover the unused space between the rails. The panels are installed in an ingenious way. A train loaded with panels travels along the track unrolling the photovoltaics like a carpet. Watch to learn more about how Sun-Ways will be unrolling solar panels on railway tracks in Switzerland.