Was bedeutet das für Hessen?
this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2026
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It's like solar roadways, except once again trains are the natural evolutionary end point
Musk will do it better with tunnels full of self driving cars that are recharged in real time from the solar panel roads they are driving on!
Nah, the tunnel needs to be surrounded by magnets that induce a current in the Tesla as it drives through. That current can then be used to charge the Tesla.
People who believe this works likely have studied business economics.
after rolling out 100 metres of photovoltaic (PV) panels in between active tracks
One of the biggest concerns, previously expressed by the International Union of Railways, is that the panels could suffer micro-cracks, lead to a higher risk of fires and distract train drivers due to reflections
Built-in sensors also ensure they work properly while brushes attached to the end of trains can remove dirt from the panels’ surface.
Yeah that doesn't really sound like a resounding success IMO.
Just put it on a house?
Concerns don't mean it's a problem, just that it was identified as a possible problem. Did this study bear these concerns out? From the article, right between two of the paragraphs you copied:
Sun-Ways has tackled these issues by building more resistant panels than what would be installed on rooftops, fitted with an anti-reflection filter.
Also, yes, install them on houses. We can do both. We should keep putting them just about everywhere they work until there is no added benefit or there is no more fossil fuel being used for electricity.
Sure if we can do both! But it seems like lots of easier options are still untapped in many places, like the sides of the rail right of way.
This coupled with solar canals would be amazing.
Solar highways as well.
And the giant money incinerator!
Solar coal mines!
solar fricken railroads?
This idea makes a thousand times more sense because they're not trying to replace the load-bearing surface with an expanse of expensive and delicate glass, they're just filling in otherwise unused space
You know what makes more sense? Putting them on homes.
I agree we should be putting solar panels on roofs. I disagree that this railway solar idea is impractical. If this article is to be believed they have already demonstrated effective operation at pilot scale. They mentioned some challenges specific to this application, but they also seem to have compensated for them
The challenges are what makes them impractical. The company has investment it needs to repay, so it obviously wants to tell you it's not a big deal. It's much more cost efficient and solar efficient to install them on roofs of homes and building, create shelters from them, or simply just make a field of them. Things like "solar railways" should be a last resort, after we have already covered the obvious solutions.
I don't think it's a slam dunk case. There's lots of costs associated with installing solar on a roof that may not apply here. I think someone would have to do a comparative lifecycle analysis
This one makes a lot of sense though. You have a built in way to clean the panels through the trains, the panels are protected by the rails, and theoretically nothing should be putting weight on them (in practice the weight of a human or maybe a cow - at most)
Plus railroads last a very long time. Basically until we rip them up
We don't need a solution to transition away from fossil fuels, we need lots of solutions. We really should be putting up solar panels anywhere and everywhere they will survive for at least a few years. Even if it's 70% as productive as a properly angled panel, so what? We don't need to min max here
We need production ramped up and capacity online as fast as possible. If solar railways become a new source of demand, that means more investment in both
Pretty ridiculous idea on the face of it but who knows!
Soon to be proactively banned in the US.
How easy are they to steal?... asking for a friend... who needs panels for his house... yes lets go with that
Probably similar to stealing them from a field, just with more risk of getting hit by a train
Screwing up our transition to renewables... You (general) probably deserve to get hit.