Trains could remove CO2 from the atmosphere and self-driving containers on rails may bridge logistics gaps.
But, according to a Swiss startup, the railway network has greater potential still. Why not use the area between tracks to generate clean energy?
Create 2 megawatts of solar energy on a 10-kilometre stretch of rail, instead of 10,000㎡ of productive land…
Instead of installing single solar panels they are connected with one another prior to being rolled out by a specially equipped train.
A pilot project, launching in May 2023, will see 50 panels laid over a 100-metre stretch near Neuchâtel.
A transformer, for feeding the energy back into the railway grid, is still being finalised.
In Barcelona, pavements are already electrified.
