In 2025, 48 solar panels went between Swiss tracks; today, 11,000 trains have passed over them

Swiss startup Sun-Ways installed 48 removable solar panels between active railway tracks in 2025. (Photo: Sun-Ways) A Swiss startup has spent more than a year testing an unusual way to generate renewable energy: placing removable solar panels directly between the rails of an active railway line.At a pilot project in Buttes, Switzerland, more than 11,000 trains have already travelled over the installation, while the system has generated more than 16,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity since May 2025.According to SWI Swissinfo, the installation has remained stable and has not interfered with train operations or railway maintenance during the pilot.The project is being developed by Swiss startup Sun-Ways, which installed 48 photovoltaic panels along a 100-metre section of railway in April 2025. Sun-Ways describes the project as the world's first removable solar power plant installed on an active railway line.Solar panels fit into the space between railway tracksMore than 11,000 trains have passed over the 100-metre Swiss railway solar installation. (Photo: Sun-Ways)The concept is strikingly simple: instead of buying land for a conventional solar farm, Sun-Ways uses the narrow strip of s...