Too bad the article is not explaining why SNCF is interested in this project. I can guess that electricity is one of the job of SNCF, they are using a lot of it, they have the skills and network to manage and distribute electricity. They could buy less electricity. Since rails are a well equiped infrastructure, it’s cheaper to put PV in place and everything is available for cables and it’s an electricity network by itself
I found some articles (in french). They already tested a solution to rapidly deploy PV on unused tracks : https://www.groupe-sncf.com/fr/innovation/solveig-prototype-ferrovoltaique
An another article is about this project and gives a bit more details : https://lenergeek.com/2026/02/06/une-startup-suisse-ose-limpensable-produire-de-lelectricite-directement-sur-les-rails-de-train/ It is an experimental project to find if PV panels could survive in such condition and if it is possible to manage both rail and energy operations on the same network.
Solar freakin’ railways
Still dumb. Less dumb than on roads, but still dumb.
I mean if it’s hardened against dragging defects, I don’t see why not
You’ve complicated maintenance of both the railway and the solar. If you used the space literally next to it in the picture, both would be simplified and have current real world cost and deployments. This is just an investor scam so they can take a bunch of money, and say it was all for this test, that will turn out to be worse and more expensive than anything else.
Then they will try to sucker another city into funding a new test.
It appears dumb, until you think of automated deployment and maintainance, leveraging existing infrastructure.
Or made it easier, since you could do maintenance on the panels with some rail cart directly. I see how solar roadways may not have been convenient, but with rail it’s not as dumb. Placing the panels on the side also means more land use, and not every place in the world is spacious, especially Switzerland
Fair comment, though in real life the space near the tracks is either non-existent either uneven ground filled with rocks and plants, but as other pointed out it could be on roofs, parking lots, etc. Also, apparently the SNCF says they are specifically testing how much it complicates maintenance, so they are aware of this, but even then it’s less direct to test for that, and maybe built it in the future, than to built it in already adapted places.
Wouldn’t that shake a bunch and shatter the glass and also just why? Like why would you ever do that?
Wouldn’t that shake a bunch and shatter the glass and also just why?
Solar panels don’t have to necessarily contain glass, the solar cells can be coated with anything as long as it’s transparent, there are in fact flexible solar panels.
Like why would you ever do that?
My guess is infrastructure, the railway company already owns the land, so there’s no upfront land investment.
And maybe they can maybe reuse use of the electric railway infrastructure to wire the panels?
And maybe they can maybe reuse use of the electric railway infrastructure to wire the panels?
Way too high voltage to be practical.
It’s not like shaking is a very novel complication that we have no technological means to counteract.
No, but it does mean that basically everything built for standard domestic/commercial use is unsuitable and instead you have to use rail/marine/heavy-industrial grade equipment, and maintain it regularly.
To generate electricity
And the space right next to the track or a field or a roof or a desert or a parking lot or the ocean or literally anything else doesn’t work because?
They don’t own it.
Ive seen people say:
Put solar panels on rooftops
And on:
Sides of tall buildings
As roofs on parking lots
Bus stops
Electric vehicles
But never seen anyone suggest this
Might be a good idea
Might not. But nice to try
Generally speaking, you want panels to:
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Have minimal shading (especially by e.g. poles for overhead traction)
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Not get contaminated by dripping oil/grease/brake dust.
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Not complicate access (either by being in the way or by being damaged and live) for repairs or rescue efforts.
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Not be subject to vibration or impact.
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Be located densely and near connections to the electrical grid, so that the cabling per panel is minimal.
This breaks just about every one of those.
Go put panels on every house/mall/supermarket and then panel roofs over every carpark and railway station first, then we’ll talk.
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The dutch aube others) have trailed this in the past. This is a stupid idea bit there you go.
