The innovative Swiss rail solar design is a world first
Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott
Swiss solar energy start-up Sun-Ways has teamed up with French state-owned rail operator SNCF to partner in the world’s first removable solar power plant installed on an active railway line.
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In April 2025, Sun-Ways installed solar panels between the tracks of a railway line near Buttes, canton Neuchâtel. in western Switzerland. The company has revealed it signed a collaboration agreement with SNCF in November, which will last until 2028.
+ How Switzerland is turning rail tracks into solar power plants
This is not the first time solar energy has been integrated into rail infrastructure. Projects in Germany, Italy, France and Japan are testing solar panels between the rails. However, Buttes is the first removable system that can be placed on tracks that are open to traffic.
+ Power-generating railway tracks are coming down the line
SNCF will study the impact of the Buttes installations to assess the feasibility of deploying this type of technology on the French rail network
“The SNCF Group gains immediate access to valuable data, feedback from experimentation, and the technological expertise,” the two parties said in a press release.
+ Five unusual places to install solar panels in Switzerland
This includes installation of photovoltaic panels, glare analysis, track inspection and impact assessments on railway maintenance operations.
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Groundbreaking solar railway project gets back on track
Adapted from French by AI/mga
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