Solar panels will be rolled onto Swiss railway tracks ‘like a carpet’
www.euronews.com
After long delays, the removable PV system will finally be tested on a western track next spring.

I’m all for putting solar panels all over the place, but won’t these get dusty and oily and need loads of cleaning after trains pass over?

Also, costing €623,000 over three years sounds rather expensive for just 100m (although that roughly equates to 11KW).

      • Valmond@lemmy.world
        93·
        3 hours ago

        Putting solar panels between rails is as stupid as solar roadways. There is nothing to be gained and just lots of hurdles to overcome to make it (almost) as good as a normal solar panel on a roof or on a stick or on a wall.

        Tell me, why on earth would you put solar panels between rails?

        • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
          31·
          2 hours ago

          Tell me, why on earth would you put solar panels between rails?

          were just trying to find some efficiency in the space wasted by rail not-in-use. thats a lot of land. im not saying its possible, but i dont think thought experiments about these kinds of things is a bad idea

          • Valmond@lemmy.world
            52·
            1 hour ago

            That’s like 0.00000001% of land.

            There is so much unused land, why bother trains and their schedules with a maintenance nightmare between their rails?

            It is just a stupid idea with no upside except the oily greasy dirty solar panels up-side that can’t get cleaned because, … wait for it …, there are Trains running over it!

            I can’t fathom how such a stupid idea got more that 1 meter away from the bar counter.

            • SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml
              2·
              49 minutes ago

              I agree, there’s so much land elsewhere. Even just beside the tracks would be better than between the tracks

            • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
              23·
              1 hour ago

              ha, ok. youll be ok. its alright. everything will be just fine.

              why dont you have some nice warm milk and this cookie. youll feel right as rain. .

              • Valmond@lemmy.world
                32·
                1 hour ago

                Everything will be fine, except this extraordinarily stupid idea.

                Did you invest in it or something? I mean you have no answers just other than “here take a cookie” lol

                  • Valmond@lemmy.world
                    22·
                    60 minutes ago

                    It did cost 600.000 euros and you call it efficient, for an idea that can be scrapped by thinking straight for 2 minutes lol.

                    You think the idea sounds cool, but it’s just a nightmare. If you are really interested in efficiency you should look up engineering and related studies. Or just work with mechanical things. Or both.

                    What did you think about solar roadways?