Testing the world’s first rail-based solar system in Switzerland

We have already seen solar roads and solar pavements, and now rail-based solar is here – an innovation from the Swiss company Sun‑Ways. In April 2025, this startup launched a pilot project comprising 48 solar panels, each able to generate 380 W of electricity, installed between the rails along a 100‑metre section of railway in the canton of Neuchâtel. The trial is expected to run for three years, the minimum period specified by the Federal Office of Transport before a wider rollout. This pilot phase will allow the startup to test different coating technologies for the solar panels. If the tests prove conclusive, Sun-Ways hopes to extend its solution to the entire Swiss rail network – 5,000 km of tracks.

12/15/2025