The rising dawn glinted not just on tracks, but on hope itself—rails bathed in golden light, whispering of a future guided by clean energy.
From the bustling workshops of India to Germany’s green grids and Poland’s electrified arteries, solar power is not just illuminating railways—it’s illuminating change.
Riding The Sunshine: India’s Burgeoning Solar Railway Story
In a landscape brimming with both challenges and vast expanses of unused railway land, India is seizing an opportunity. The Central Railway zone has pledged to install 1 MW of solar generation capacity across 81 locations—cleverly leveraging around 2,700 acres (1,093 hectares) of idle railway land for clean energy deployment.
This is no mere token gesture. As Asia’s largest rail network and a formidable electricity consumer, Indian Railways has been collaborating with the UN Development Programme to roll out solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at 8,500 stations and even to power coaches directly.
In 2017, the world’s first solar-powered DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) train emerged, its rooftop PV modules powering lights, fans, and digital displays.
These steps reflect a broader, ambitious trajectory: from harnessing land for solar arrays to integrating renewable power within rolling stock itself. It’s a story of scope and imagination, grounded in technical ambition and sustainable progress.
Europe’s Sunlight Trains: Germany’s Green Grid Momentum
Germany may not be retrofitting solar panels onto its tracks just yet, but its rails are powered by an increasingly green grid. As of early 2024, Deutsche Bahn sourced about 68% of its electricity from renewable energy—and is targeting 80% by 2030.
This is not wishful thinking—it’s backed by power-purchase agreements with firms like Uniper who are actively helping decarbonize rail energy supply.
At the national level, Germany’s solar sector stands strong: by 2024, solar provided 15% of its electricity generation, a dramatic jump from less than 0.1% in 2000. Notably, in April 2025, solar farms even became the country’s leading source of electricity generation—a major milestone.
While Deutsche Bahn may not yet run directly on “sun trains,” the solar infrastructure enveloping Germany’s grid ensures that any train that draws electricity is, in part, powered by sunlight. A quietly transformative kind of innovation—powering progress from beyond the tracks.
Revealing The “Mostly Important Fourth Point”: Innovation Between Rails In India
Amid these innovations, one breakthrough stands out as truly striking—the so-called “fourth point.” On India’s independence day in 2025, Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) inaugurated the country’s first removable solar panel system installed between active railway tracks.
This pilot stretches 70 meters with 28 bifacial monocrystalline panels, delivering 15 kWp of capacity and generating approximately 880 units per kilometer each day.
Ingeniously designed, the panels are mounted with rubber pads for vibration proofing and bonded with epoxy adhesive—but still removable via four stainless-steel bolts for routine maintenance.
It’s a marvel of precision and creativity—using track space without land acquisition, minimizing disruption, yet maximizing energy potential.
Over a network spanning 120,000 kilometers, such systems could collectively generate over 321,000 units per year per kilometer. A model for India, indeed for the world—an elegant fusion of rail and renewable energy.
Other Sparks Of Innovation
Beyond India and Germany, creativity is flourishing across the globe. In Switzerland, the startup Sun-Ways has engineered a method to install PV panels between railway tracks—aptly dubbed a “solar carpet.”
Such a system could generate around 1 TWh annually, equal to 2% of Switzerland’s entire energy consumption. While still experimental, the concept hints at a future where virtually trackside surfaces can generate power themselves.
In Western Europe, France-Belgium rail operator Thalys has been running its trains on 100% green energy—wind, solar, and hydro—for nearly three years, a tangible example of sustainability in motion.
Meanwhile, across the UK, Network Rail signed a groundbreaking 14-year agreement to power its 20 major stations—such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, and others—with solar energy sourced from a new solar farm in Norfolk. Though not powering trains directly, it’s a milestone in greening rail infrastructure.
The Human Spirit And The Sun
Every innovation here tells a story, not only of technology but of people—planners, engineers, officials, dreamers. Imagine BLW’s GM praising a design that speaks to practical ingenuity; hear the pride in every engineer’s voice as removable panels are tightened into place, solar modules gleaming even as trains rumble overhead.
Or picture a field manager at Sun-Ways describing the beauty of a “solar carpet” behind his eyes, believing that one day tracks worldwide could hum with power they produce themselves. These details—untold anecdotes, subtle moments—carry the heart of this narrative.
Looking Ahead With Hope
The track to net-zero is still long, but the direction is vivid. India’s integrated steps—land arrays, rooftop systems, solar-powered coaches, innovations between tracks—show ambition and resolve.
Germany’s grid-leading solar growth offers energy backbone that fuels greener travel. European experiments—from solar carpet pilots to Thalys’s green trains and UK station solar power—add creative threads to a growing tapestry.
In each gleaming panel and energized rail, there lies more than electricity—there lies optimism, possibility, a brighter path ahead.
Solar-powered rail is no longer science fiction. It’s today’s promise. Engineers, policymakers, communities—together—are writing a story of light, hope, and movement.
Sources:
Euro News
Rail Nridigital
Reuters
