Swiss startup Sun-ways is planning to build a 18 kW pilot PV system between the racks of a 100-m linear section of a railway line in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel.
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.
They are saying in their FAQ that there are some brushes they can mount on the tails of trains running overhead. Can’t see any published picture of them though.
Comment garantir la propreté des panneaux ?
Il est vrai que des panneaux sales produisent moins et ce problème se vérifie également sur les toits des maisons ou dans le désert. Cependant, pour ce qui des panneaux placés entre les rails, il existe des systèmes de nettoyage, sous forme de brosse cylindrique, qui se place en queue de train et qui procède au nettoyage automatique des panneaux lorsque le train passe au-dessus. Ce dispositif garantit un rendement maximal des panneaux à un coût minime.
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.
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
Reminds me of this, but in reverse:
https://youtu.be/_0tVlLZLzeo?t=308
Pretty close. Quick lets patent it
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.
There’s still massive amounts of air pressure changes Those can definitely lift some smaller rocks
They are saying in their FAQ that there are some brushes they can mount on the tails of trains running overhead. Can’t see any published picture of them though.
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.