this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2024
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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).

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 week ago (2 children)

you have to keep the panels clean in order to work. this is not a great position to do so

[–] RestrictedAccount 7 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Hopper cars lose coal and ore all the time

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

This is Switzerland, outside of a small number of corridors the majority of tracks see virtually nothing but passenger trains.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Trains with hoppers are not present on all railways though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

But these solar panels will be present on those with hoppers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

i'd be more worried about about smudgy stuff. they get dusty, then it rains and the panel is covered in a film of dirt. bird shit on solar panels is already plaguing home users

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

could trains have some kind of mechanism that might help? physical contact seems too much, maybe a blower?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

I'm sure enough air is moved simply from the train moving by, but there will probably still be rocks and stuff flying around

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

won't really help against bird poop and such