Sun-Ways and SNCF Group team up to test solar panels between railway rails
02.02.2026
Swiss cleantech startup Sun-Ways has signed a collaboration agreement with the SNCF Group to test a new way of producing solar power directly on active railway tracks. The partnership focuses on the world’s first removable solar power plant installed between the rails, with the aim of assessing its compatibility with rail operations and maintenance.
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Under this agreement, the SNCF Group becomes a partner in the Sun-Ways pilot project, which has been operating in Buttes, in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel, since April 24, 2025. SNCF’s innovation department, together with SNCF Réseau, is closely monitoring the project to study how solar panels placed between the rails interact with day-to-day railway maintenance.
As France’s largest consumer of electricity and the country’s second-largest landowner, the SNCF Group is exploring new approaches to use its land more efficiently in response to long-term energy challenges. The collaboration with Sun-Ways, a Venture Kick winner, fits into this broader effort to assess solar solutions adapted to railway infrastructure.
Sun-Ways’ technology uses the space between the rails to install removable photovoltaic panels that can be taken out when needed for maintenance. Through its involvement in the Swiss pilot, the SNCF Group gains direct access to operational data, on-site feedback, and the technical know-how developed by the startup.
During the pilot phase, Sun-Ways is conducting a wide range of tests, including panel installation and removal, glare analysis, track inspections, maintenance compatibility, energy production, and soiling effects. The collaboration will run until the end of the pilot project in April 2028, giving the SNCF Group the basis to evaluate whether this type of installation could be deployed across parts of the French rail network.
As France’s largest consumer of electricity and the country’s second-largest landowner, the SNCF Group is exploring new approaches to use its land more efficiently in response to long-term energy challenges. The collaboration with Sun-Ways, a Venture Kick winner, fits into this broader effort to assess solar solutions adapted to railway infrastructure.
Sun-Ways’ technology uses the space between the rails to install removable photovoltaic panels that can be taken out when needed for maintenance. Through its involvement in the Swiss pilot, the SNCF Group gains direct access to operational data, on-site feedback, and the technical know-how developed by the startup.
During the pilot phase, Sun-Ways is conducting a wide range of tests, including panel installation and removal, glare analysis, track inspections, maintenance compatibility, energy production, and soiling effects. The collaboration will run until the end of the pilot project in April 2028, giving the SNCF Group the basis to evaluate whether this type of installation could be deployed across parts of the French rail network.