Swiss startup Sun-Ways has unveiled an innovative plan to utilize the often-overlooked space between railway tracks by installing solar panels. While many rooftops and solar farms already capture sunlight, there’s still significant untapped potential in unconventional spaces, such as railway networks.

Sun-Ways aims to capitalize on the estimated 1-terawatt-hour (TWh) annual energy potential from the 5,000 kilometers of railway tracks in Switzerland. By laying removable photovoltaic (PV) panels between the rails, the company hopes to meet nearly a third of the electricity demand for the country’s public transport sector, while cutting CO2 emissions by over 200,000 tons each year.

Each solar panel measures 1 x 1.7 meters (3.3 x 5.5 feet) and is equipped with an anti-reflective coating to prevent glare. These panels are arranged in modular frames with all necessary wiring and components housed within. The current design fits standard track gauges of 1.43 meters (4.6 feet), but it can be adapted for non-standard installations. While engineers can manually install these panels, Swiss railway maintenance company Scheuchzer SA has developed a machine capable of laying out up to 1,000 square meters of panel arrays per day.

A key feature of the system is its removability, allowing the panels to be temporarily taken out for track maintenance and then reinstalled afterward. The panels have been tested to withstand trains traveling up to 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph) and winds up to 240 kilometers per hour (150 mph). While snowfall in winter months could reduce performance, the company suggests that trains could be fitted with cylindrical brushes to clean the panels of dirt and snow.

The energy produced by the panels could power nearby railway infrastructure such as switches, points, and stations, or even feed into the grid. The system may also supply power to the traction network that drives locomotives, eliminating the need for ground-based inverters.

Despite an initial setback in 2022 when the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) refused Sun-Ways’ application, the company pressed on. It enlisted researchers from the Haute École d’Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud (HEIG-VD) for independent assessments of custom panel prototypes. These evaluations, combined with technical and safety documentation from Geste Engineering, resulted in a revised plan that ultimately received approval.

In 2025, Sun-Ways will launch a pilot project on a 100-meter (330-foot) section of the TransN line 221 near Buttes railway station in Neuchâtel. The pilot will feature 48 panels with a capacity of 18 kWp. Viteus, the local electricity distributor, and DG Rail will oversee the project, ensuring the panels integrate seamlessly with the rail network. During the trial, installation and removal tests will be conducted, along with measurements to confirm that the system won’t harm railway infrastructure.

If successful, Sun-Ways’ solar panel system could revolutionize how countries harness renewable energy from their existing rail networks.

By Impact Lab