Transform train abandoned in a new source of renewable energy. He “railway“It comes to France to relive more than 7,000 kilometers of “non -circrable” train lines. The French State Society responsible for the railway lines (SNCF) has been working for years in a project inspired by the Swedish Sun-Kys program in which they seek to revalue the Railway lines currently unused to give them a second chance.
Thus was born, a French initiative with which it intends to supply electricity to construction or isolated infrastructure work, thanks to solar plates installed on non -operational train tracks. “Without work, without base and without impact,” they say from SNCF to explain that the panels rest on a kind of cars equipped with rollers that allow them to slide over the rails, before being fixed by means of a system of support on the tracks. “Reversibility is an essential factor. Panels will not permanently occupy the roads where they are installed,” explains Romaric Quentin, engineer and co -director of the Solveig project.
For now, Solveig It is in a trial period that began on January 17 and that lasts until July. Its installation in the technical center of Achères (Northwest of Paris) is temporary and seeks to “respond to a specific and local need for renewable energy supply, such as a maintenance site.” In the event that the results are positive, it will be implemented on “large scale”.
Produce 1,000 megawatts for 2030
Solveig is a wink to the “roads of the Sun” Scandinavian and promises to be the first “ferrovoltism” project in France, with which useless infrastructure will be revolutionized. The trains company estimates that this initiative can produce 1,000 megawatts of Photovoltaic capacity From here to 2030, which represents between 15 and 20% of the electrical needs of the trains company.
CNCF wants to go further, and is already exploring how to make the most of its infrastructure, with solar panels in marques or on the roofs of the stations, and even facilities along the roads, to take advantage of the vast surface of railway network land.
The Small Belt of Paris
Initiatives such as this are not new in France. In 2017, Paris opened several sections of the Belt“the small belt”, so that the Parisians could take advantage of the 32 kilometers of abandoned train track that circulates the French capital.
This railway line was built in 1852 to transport the goods No need to go through the center of the capital gala. As of 1862, it opened to travelers, offering circular services through the peripheral neighborhoods of the city, until 1993 when it stopped working.
After years of abandonment, the Belt He revived thanks to the Paris City Council and several neighborhood associations, which promoted the creation of pedestrian trails and urban gardens on train tracks and even outdoor cinema in summer.
One of those sections is located in the 17th district of Paris, where the neighbors have installed a small garden at the edges of the tracks and some tables, where the afternoons gathered playing board games and taking a snack.
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