Ikea sells its own balcony power plant for self-assembly.
From this week on, Ikea stores will offer a DIY balcony solar power kit for a small price. It comes with a portable battery included.
In Switzerland, an exciting pilot project has been launched: detachable solar panels are being embedded between the rails.
The Swiss start-up Sun-Ways is currently receiving worldwide inquiries about its unusual idea. The company has laid 100 meters of solar collectors in the railway tracks in the town of Buttes. Speaking to the press, founder and director Joseph Scuderi talks about a potential "revolution" in energy supply that could emerge from this.
According to a report in the magazine Focus, the entrepreneur fought for five years to obtain permission. Now, he has been allowed to start a pilot test, limited to three years.
2% of Switzerland's electricity could come from this
Scuderi sees a huge potential for climate-neutral energy supply. He says that the small test track alone could produce up to 16,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year. There are approximately 5,320 possible kilometers of railway tracks in Switzerland. Theoretically, this could generate 1 billion kWh of solar power per year, which is enough for 300,000 households. In other words, this would account for 2% of the electricity consumed in Switzerland.
No land use required
The major advantage is clear: instead of using open land, this utilizes the "dead" space between tracks effectively. The area is easily accessible, flat, not overgrown, and has a stable base due to the rail sleepers. No additional impact on flora and fauna is necessary.
Industry insiders are reportedly very interested in and supportive of the idea, as reported by Focus. While not entirely new, there are already some solar modules between rails in Germany, Italy, France, and Japan. What is new, however, is the ability to remove them, for example, for track maintenance. Sun-Ways' modules can be quickly installed and removed with a special machine.
Critics remain unconvinced
The Swiss transportation authority, however, remains skeptical and has approved a maximum speed of 70 km/h on the pilot section. German energy economist Prof. Lion Hirth is also not in favor of the idea. He believes that such a system would be three times more expensive than solar parks. He also has questions regarding lifespan, availability, and other factors.
What's next?
Despite this, Sun-Ways continues and remains optimistic. It is possible to equip half of all railway lines worldwide with this technology. The start-up is already working on similar projects in Romania, Spain, and South Korea, and plans to speak with potential partners in China and the USA soon. The company claims that if Germany were to equip only half of its 33,400 km of railway tracks with solar panels, it could generate three gigawatts of electricity.