Friends of the Rail Forum

The world’s first solar farm to power a railway line directly is due to plug into the track near Aldershot, paving the way for solar-powered trains.

From Friday, about 100 solar panels at the trackside site will supply renewable electricity to power the signalling and lights on Network Rail’s Wessex route.

The 30kW pilot scheme could pave the way for a larger project capable of directly powering the trains that use this route from next year.

The solar breakthrough comes as Network Rail plans to spend billions of pounds electrifying rail lines to avoid running trains on diesel. This could help reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and costs.

Solar panels are already used to power the operations of train stations, including Blackfriars in central London. But the Aldershot project is the first time a solar array will bypass the electricity grid to plug directly into a railway’s “traction” system...

If successful, the Aldershot project -- a collaboration between climate change charity 10:10, Community Energy South and national rail infrastructure operator Network Rail -- could lay the foundations for larger projects that would directly power trains, metros and trams across the country, and around the world.

"Helping to get the railways off fossil fuels in this way will cut running costs and benefit local communities at the same time as helping to tackle the climate crisis"...