‘Solar Tunnel’ powers Euro trains

A high-speed rail tunnel in Europe has been topped with 16,000 solar panels to power its trains. The panels on the roof of the high speed line between Antwerp and […]

A high-speed rail tunnel in Europe has been topped with 16,000 solar panels to power its trains.

The panels on the roof of the high speed line between Antwerp and Amsterdam cover 50,000 m², roughly the size of 8 football pitches.

Dubbed the Solar Tunnel, the installation from energy developer Enfinity and Belgian rail operator Infrabel should generate around 3.3 MWh of electricity per year, as much electricity as nearly 1,000 homes use in a year.

In future, 4,000 trains per year – equivalent to one full day of rail traffic – will be able to run entirely on solar energy.

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