A Swiss startup may have found a way to expand the country’s solar power capacity without converting additional farmland into solar panel farms. Instead of clearing land for new solar panel installations, Sun-Ways launched a pilot project that uses land already developed for another purpose: railroad tracks. The company’s removable solar panels fit into the unused space between the rails, transforming railway tracks into energy harvesting infrastructure without affecting train operations or schedules. The Sun-Ways pilot program has been running for over a year and covers only 100 meters (328 feet) of track in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Initial results appear promising and other countries, including Italy and South Korea, are considering similar tests.
French SNCF announced in February 2026 its partnership with Sun-Ways to study the startup’s pilot project, which is expected to operate in Switzerland until April 2028. An Italian company has signed an agreement with Sun-Ways to launch a similar pilot project in Italy, according to Euronews. The report also states that Sun-Ways plans to install similar solar panels in South Korea and cites China, India, Singapore and the Netherlands as other interested parties. Other interested parties include Belgium, Canada, Mexico and the United States, according to Sun-Ways.
Solar panels placed between the tracks would not power the trains themselves, although this could be a future use of electricity. Switzerland’s national rail operator, SBB, already runs 100% on renewable energy, a target achieved on January 1, 2025. Energy comes from several sources, including hydro, solar and wind. SBB did not collaborate with Sun-Ways for this first pilot project.
How Sun-Ways Solar Panels Work
The panels were installed near the village of Buttes in the canton of Neuchâtel in April 2025. The pilot includes 48 photovoltaic modules spread over 100 meters of railway track. Each panel is approximately 2 meters (6.55 feet) long and rated at 380 watts peak (Wp), which is the maximum power under peak conditions. The entire system can generate a theoretical maximum of 18 kWp. Sun-Ways estimates the facility can generate 16,000 kilowatt hours, or 16 megawatt hours, of electricity per year.
Unlike other photovoltaic panels installed at an angle, Sun-Ways solar panels are placed flat between the tracks so that trains can pass over them safely. A special Scheuchzer railway machine transports and deploys the panels, which are then connected to a system attached to the sleepers. Sun-Ways says the installation system could potentially deploy approximately 300 meters (985 feet) of solar panels per hour, although this estimate has not yet been demonstrated beyond the 100-meter pilot project. The panels may need to be removed for rail maintenance, but the system is designed to accommodate this. An assembly of three panels measuring approximately 6 meters (19.7 feet) can be detached in approximately 10 minutes.
Solar panels also need to be clean to produce electricity efficiently. While initial plans called for brushes mounted under the trains, tests showed that the airflow generated by passing trains was sufficient to prevent dust from accumulating. After more than a year of operation, the pilot project also provided data on seasonal debris accumulation. The panels also feature an anti-reflective coating to reduce glare that could affect train drivers.
How much energy could solar railways produce?
Sun-Ways estimates that 100 meters of solar panels can produce around 16,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, or enough to power around three to four Swiss homes. If the technology were deployed across Switzerland’s 5,320 kilometer railway network, it could produce around 1 TWh of electricity per year, or around 2% of the country’s annual electricity consumption. This would be enough to supply around 300,000 homes, although it remains unclear whether Switzerland will develop this technology once the pilot project is completed.
According to Sun-Ways, the pilot program produced more than 16,000 kilowatt hours of electricity between May 2025 and June 2026, matching the company’s estimates, even though it was offline for about a month during that period. More than 11,000 trains have passed through the facility, traveling at speeds of approximately 70 kilometers per hour (43 mph). The system is currently designed to support trains traveling up to 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph), which could limit its use in countries where high-speed trains exceed that maximum, including France, Italy and South Korea.
Switzerland’s climate could also limit energy production compared to sunnier regions. If the technology proves commercially viable, countries with higher solar radiation, such as Italy and the south of France, could potentially produce even more electricity from similar installations.
