PV = Photovoltaic
Why not just make solar roofs over things like parking lots and sidewalks? That way it can provide cover and power, you can use off the shelf panels, and they are unlikely to get damaged.
Switzerland authorizes removable PV plant on railway track
Submitted 5 weeks ago by ArtikBanana@lemmy.dbzer0.com to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/10/04/switzerland-authorizes-removable-pv-plant-on-railway-track/
Comments
cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 5 weeks ago
COASTER1921@lemmy.ml 5 weeks ago
And you can repair them without needing to shut down a whole railway. All these projects to put solar panels in novel places are totally pointless and solving a problem that doesn’t exist.
potatopotato@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
Yeah until we literally run out of roofs, fields, parking lots, and fucking ocean space and are contemplating a fucking Dyson sphere I really don’t understand these projects.
Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 5 weeks ago
parking lots would require the government to own said parking lots. its why you often see them at schools (because its government funded)
Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de 5 weeks ago
In France, solar panels are mandatory for living roofs of commercial and industrial buildings and covered car parks occupying 500 m² or more of ground surface.
essteeyou@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
I doubt they’re doing this and only this.
lime@feddit.nu 5 weeks ago
wouldn’t make much sense to put up a solar roof after doing this. it would block the sun.
ryathal@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
Covering parking lots is expensive and you lose spots to supports and there’s the inevitable car hitting those supports.
Putting panels between rail lines doesn’t need a structure so it should be far cheaper and easier to install and fix, even if they aren’t ideal.
GenosseFlosse@feddit.org 5 weeks ago
They will get dirty very fast, either from dirt thrown around by passing trains, or by the brake dust.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
I’m interested to see how this turns out, because I’m thinking this would significantly increase maintenance costs on those panels due to rocks being kicked up, vibration from the train, etc.
TheRealCharlesEames@lemm.ee 5 weeks ago
Maybe it’s like a blanket that the train picks up over its head and runs underneath, setting it back down on the ground after it
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
Reminds me of this, but in reverse:
catloaf@lemm.ee 5 weeks ago
There shouldn’t be any rocks kicked up because the trains should stay on the rails, not touch the ballast.
But dirt, debris, and brake dust will absolutely collect very quickly. Maybe they’re counting on rain to keep them clean.
JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
There’s still massive amounts of air pressure changes Those can definitely lift some smaller rocks
ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 5 weeks ago
You do get the advantage of easy and above all fast placement.
Not sure how this would work out. There’s pros and cons I suppose.
umbrella@lemmy.ml 5 weeks ago
anyone remember solar roadways?
Passerby6497@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
This isn’t nearly that dumb, because the train isn’t actually riding directly on top of the solar cells.
Crashumbc@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
It’s close though, random shit gets dragged, kicked, dropped, etc all the time by trains.
A chain , cable, or wire comes loose on a car and goodbye panels and like all of them …
shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip 5 weeks ago
Actually, yes, I do. SOLAR FREAKING ROADWAYS
DannyBoy@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
Yeah, I looked up the French solar roadways after seeing this to see the headline of ‘total disaster’. So as expected.
fubarx@lemmy.ml 5 weeks ago
Good thing they stopped emptying train toilets on the tracks.
DrunkEngineer@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
While I know things are generally more expensive in Switzerland, $685,000 is crazy expensive for just 18 kW (48 panels).
cobysev@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
This doesn’t seem like it would work. Debris falling off the trains, dusty buildup, vibrations, rocks bouncing around the tracks; heck, even just wildlife crossing the tracks. So many things are gonna damage those panels if they’re just lying on the ground between tracks, and solar panels are extremely fragile.
I hope they have some sort of bullet proof glass or something over those panels. Probably going to need a special train to spray water over them to clean regularly, too.
I dunno about Swiss trains, but the tracks behind my house in America leave a thick black film on everything, and it’s very hard to clean by hand. I think they transport coal.
NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 5 weeks ago
I feel like the vibration is going to induce microfractures in the photovoltaic crystals, no matter how well the panel is protected from debris.
ABCDE@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
And the piss and shit.
How_do_I_computah@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Reminds me of “solar freaking roadways!”
NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Gut, dass da zwischen den Schienen nie irgendwelche Steine rumfliegen…???
ikidd@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
That’s not much of a pilot. I run 43kW at my house.
veeesix@lemmy.ca 5 weeks ago
The capacity limit of the system is not the objective of the pilot project.
anubis119@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Relevant Dave Jones debunk. youtu.be/7vItnxhWRqw?feature=shared
cybermass@lemmy.ca 5 weeks ago
I don’t understand why we are not putting solar panels on every surface possible to be honest.
TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
At least for right now it’s just a test on a 100-meter length of track, but this reeks of a startup trying to innovate its way out of NIMBYs not wanting to put solar panels where they actially belong without considering why nobody has put solar panels in the middle of a railroad track before (cough rocks, wildlife, and vandalism cough).
ThePantser@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
One more reason. The reason they tell people not to lay on the tracks under the train, the freaking cables and chains that could come loose and dangle under the cars and drag along the ground that would cut you in half the long way. Those loose parts would just destroy the solar panels.