Climate change has brought about new challenges. Countries around the world are trying to replace fossil energy with greener sources. Yet, the technologies that allow us to harvest natural energies, such as the sun, are usually costly. They also demand a lot of space to function. This is why Sun-Ways‘s attempt to create and install new types of movable solar panels in “unexploited spaces” may be a game changer.
Sun-Ways is a company created in 2021 with the aim to develop new ways of handling solar electricity, including innovating the use of solar panels. The company is currently working on a pilot project in Switzerland. Their challenge is to install removable solar panels in the empty space between train tracks. Utilizing the spaces between Switzerland’s nearly 7,000 km of railroad tracks can potentially provide a reliable supply of clean energy. This means that there are 7,000,000 m2 of surface available to install solar panels.
Challenges and gain
The challenge Sun-Ways is facing is real. Train tracks in Switzerland are used daily by thousands of trains. The company had therefore developed a new, cutting-edge technology that allows solar panels to be easily dropped in place by a train. They are also easily removed whenever maintenance is needed on the tracks. Thus, those solar panels would not hinder the functioning of the trains. We can assume that maintenance trains would be able to move along the train track and repair the solar panels when needed.
If Sun-Ways’s pilot project gives satisfactory results, its new technology would be a game changer. Putting solar panels on only 10 km of train tracks would give out an annual production of 2 GWh. This represents the annual consumption of 400 households. This would be achieved with no impact on the environment and nature. In addition, it would also have no impact on the population living close to the tracks.
YouTube: Sun-Ways.ch – Vidéo 3D
Photo credits: The images used are owned by Sun-Ways and have been provided for press usage.
