Solar Energy
Sun-Ways inaugurated on April 24, 2025, in Buttes, in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel, what is being considered the world’s first operational project with removable solar panels installed on an active railway line. The proposal takes advantage of the space between the tracks to produce renewable electricity without competing for area with agriculture, forests, or urban expansion.
The pilot occupies about 100 meters of track, uses 48 photovoltaic modules of 380 W, totals 18 kWp of installed power, and was designed to generate about 16,000 kWh per year, a volume deemed sufficient to meet the annual consumption of four to six Swiss households.
The innovation of Sun-Ways is not only in the use of photovoltaic modules on a railway, but in the fact that the system was designed to operate on a line open to passenger traffic. This differentiates the project from other solar energy experiences in railway infrastructure and makes Buttes a real test, not just a laboratory concept.
Surge in Solar-Powered Homes in Brazil Leads to Grid Strain and Connection Restrictions in Three States
Solar Chimney in Spain Harnessed Sun to Generate Electricity for 7 Years Without Burning Fuel
Solar energy reaches 55 GW, becoming the second largest power source in Brazil’s energy mix
Solar energy can increase property value by up to 10% and become a selling point.
The system was implemented between the tracks, on the sleepers, with the proposal to occupy a strip that normally remains underutilized along the railway network.
The idea was born precisely from the understanding that the railway can serve not only for transportation but also as a continuous surface for electricity generation.
This logic expands the reach of solar energy without requiring the opening of new territorial occupation fronts. Instead of seeking only rooftops, parking lots, or free areas, the Swiss project attempts to incorporate renewable generation directly into an already established infrastructure.
One of the central points of the technology is removability. The modules can be removed to allow inspections, repairs, component replacement, and maintenance interventions on the track, without turning solar electrification into a permanent obstacle for railway operation.
In the testing phase, the ease of removal became one of the project’s key aspects. In 2026, the founder of Sun-Ways told Swissinfo that a module with three panels, measuring six meters, can be removed from the tracks and disconnected from the network in about ten minutes with dedicated tools.
This feature gives the system an important operational advantage. Instead of requiring heavy construction for each intervention on the line, the model was designed to coexist with the railway routine and preserve access to the infrastructure whenever there is a technical need.
The installation of the modules can be done manually, but the project gained real scale with the use of a machine from the Swiss company Scheuchzer, adapted to place and remove the panels directly on the track. The goal is to transform the assembly into an industrial railway process, not a low-productivity artisanal work.
According to Swissinfo, this equipment can install or remove almost 1,000 square meters of panels in a few hours. This data is strategic because it tackles one of the main challenges of any new infrastructure technology: the cost and time of large-scale implementation.
With this, the space between the tracks ceases to be just a technical strip and becomes treated as an energy corridor. Sun-Ways’ proposal is precisely to transform an area already integrated into the railway network into a platform for distributed electricity generation throughout the territory.
The ambition of the project goes far beyond the Buttes section. The estimate released by Sun-Ways and reproduced by Swissinfo indicates that the approximately 5,320 kilometers of the Swiss railway network, excluding tunnels and less sunny areas, could generate up to 1 billion kWh per year.
This volume would be equivalent to the annual consumption of about 300,000 households and around 2% of the electricity used in Switzerland. In a country seeking to expand renewable generation, this data helps explain why the experiment attracted attention even before leaving the pilot phase.
The project also fits into a broader logic of intensive use of existing infrastructure. Instead of opening new areas for plants, the proposal tries to convert an already implemented railway corridor into an additional source of clean electricity, with the potential for large-scale repetition.
The authorization for the test came from the Swiss Federal Office of Transport, which adopted a cautious stance towards the novelty. Swissinfo reported that the agency approved the pilot in Buttes because the trains on the section run at a moderate speed of up to 70 km/h, and determined that the testing phase should last a minimum of three years.
The purpose of the monitoring is to measure track behavior, wear, maintenance, inspection, reflections, dirt accumulation, and compatibility with the railway routine in all seasons. In practice, the technology will only be able to advance to new levels of adoption if it proves consistent technical performance in continuous operation.
So far, the reported signs are positive. In June 2026, Swissinfo reported that more than 11,000 trains had already passed over the panels and that the installation had proven stable and safe, with no conflicts reported with traffic, maintenance, or line infrastructure.
The project stopped being a local curiosity when it began to attract external interest. The SNCF, a French railway group, formalized cooperation with Sun-Ways to study the impacts of the technology on maintenance, inspection, electricity generation, and railway operation, using Buttes as a learning field until April 2028.
This movement has strategic weight because SNCF is one of the largest electricity consumers in France and seeks to expand its photovoltaic production. By following the Swiss pilot, the company begins to evaluate whether the space between tracks can become another front of generation within the European railway sector.
If the technology confirms technical and economic viability, the consequence could be significant: railways cease to be just mobility corridors and also function as clean energy corridors, integrating transport and electricity generation in the same infrastructure.
Graduated in Journalism and Marketing, he is the author of over 20,000 articles that have reached millions of readers in Brazil and abroad. He has written for brands and media outlets such as 99, Natura, O Boticário, CPG – Click Petróleo e Gás, Agência Raccon, among others. A specialist in the Automotive Industry, Technology, Careers (employability and courses), Economy, and other topics. For contact and editorial suggestions: valdemarmedeiros4@gmail.com. We do not accept resumes!
Siga o CPG nas redes sociais
© 2026 Click Petróleo e Gás – All rights reserved

source