A Swiss startup has spent more than a year testing an unusual way to generate renewable energy: placing removable solar panels directly between the rails of an active railway line.
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startup → spend → line
At a pilot project in Buttes, Switzerland, more than 11,000 trains have already travelled over the installation, while the system has generated more than 16,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity since May 2025.
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system → travel → May
According to SWI Swissinfo, the installation has remained stable and has not interfered with train operations or railway maintenance during the pilot.
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installation → accord → pilot
The project is being developed by Swiss startup Sun-Ways, which installed 48 photovoltaic panels along a 100-metre section of railway in April 2025.
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which → develop → April
Sun-Ways describes the project as the world's first removable solar power plant installed on an active railway line.
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Ways → describe → line
Solar panels fit into the space between railway tracks
More than 11,000 trains have passed over the 100-metre Swiss railway solar installation.
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trains → fit → installation
The concept is strikingly simple: instead of buying land for a conventional solar farm, Sun-Ways uses the narrow strip of space that already exists between two railway rails.
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that → buy → rails
The 48 panels installed at Buttes have a combined capacity of around 18 kilowatts.
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panels → instal → kilowatts
According to pv magazine, the system was designed specifically for railway infrastructure and can be removed when maintenance work needs to be carried out.
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work → accord → infrastructure
The panels are installed between the rails rather than alongside the railway.
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panels → instal → railway
Trains therefore pass directly over them.
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Trains → pass → them
That makes the project different from conventional railway solar installations, which typically place panels on railway buildings, embankments or nearby land.
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which → make → buildings
Sun-Ways' patented system is designed to be removable, allowing railway workers to access the track when necessary.
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workers → design → track
More than 11,000 trains have passed over the solar panels
The railway solar pilot has generated more than 16,000 kWh of electricity since May 2025.
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pilot → pass → May
The first results from the Buttes pilot suggest the concept can withstand regular railway traffic.
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concept → suggest → traffic
SWI Swissinfo reported that more than 11,000 trains have travelled over the installation since it was commissioned.
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it → report → installation
Trains travelling along the section can reach speeds of around 90 kilometres per hour, or about 56 mph.
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Trains → travel → hour
Despite the repeated traffic, the solar installation has remained stable.
“We have achieved our objectives, both in terms of railway safety and electricity production,” Sun-Ways founder Joseph Scuderi told Swissinfo.
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Scuderi → repeat → Swissinfo
The project has also generated more than 16,000 kWh of electricity since May 2025.
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project → generate → May
Swissinfo reported that the output is equivalent to the average annual electricity consumption of roughly three to four Swiss households.
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output → report → households
The installation was temporarily stopped for about a month because of snow and planned technical work, but the project continued to demonstrate that photovoltaic panels could operate in the challenging environment of an active railway.
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panels → stop → railway
The panels can be removed for maintenance
Sun-Ways is testing whether unused space between railway tracks can become a source of clean energy.
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space → remove → energy
One of the biggest questions surrounding solar panels on railway tracks is whether they could obstruct routine maintenance.
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they → surround → maintenance
Railway operators regularly need access to tracks for inspections, repairs, sleeper replacement and other infrastructure work.
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operators → need → inspections
Sun-Ways designed its system around that problem.
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Ways → design → problem
According to SWI Swissinfo, the panels can be disconnected and removed using specialised equipment when railway work is required.
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work → accord → equipment
A module containing three panels and covering about six metres can reportedly be removed in roughly 10 minutes.
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module → contain → minutes
That means the solar installation does not have to remain permanently fixed to the track.
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installation → mean → track
The removable design is also one of the key features Sun-Ways hopes will make the technology suitable for railway networks in other countries.
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technology → hop → countries
Trains may help keep the panels clean
Dust and dirt are another challenge for any solar installation.
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Dust → help → installation
Solar panels become less efficient when their surfaces become heavily covered with dust, potentially requiring regular cleaning.
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surfaces → become → cleaning
Sun-Ways initially considered developing a mechanical cleaning system using a brush attached to trains.
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Ways → consider → trains
But according to Scuderi's comments reported by Swissinfo, the company found that trains themselves can create airflow capable of helping remove dust from the panels.
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trains → accord → panels
The Buttes project is being used to study several other issues, including soiling, glare, railway maintenance and the interaction between the photovoltaic installation and railway infrastructure.
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project → use → installation
The absence of reported problems with train operations is significant because railway authorities would need to be satisfied that the technology does not create additional safety risks before approving large-scale installations.
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technology → report → installations
Switzerland's railway network could generate significant electricity
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network → generate → electricity
The 100-metre Buttes installation represents only a tiny fraction of Switzerland's railway network.
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installation → represent → network
Sun-Ways estimates that suitable sections of Switzerland's approximately 5,320-kilometre railway network could potentially be equipped with its technology.
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sections → estimate → technology
According to SWI Swissinfo, the company estimates that such installations could generate as much as 1 billion kWh of electricity annually.
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installations → accord → electricity
Sun-Ways says that amount could be enough to supply around 300,000 Swiss households and represent roughly 2% of Switzerland's electricity consumption.
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amount → say → consumption
…and 29 more, not listed.
The Aporia
