In Britain, a handful of trains are now running on a rail line fueled completely by a solar farm, which is first of its kind. Almost 100 panels are running on the track and keeping the lights and signaling up in Hampshire near Aldershot. In addition to this, the project might be a forerunner to solar-fueled trains on the UK network.
A number of train stations in the UK already work on solar power. Network Rail, which runs several railway infrastructures in the nation, has kept aside a huge amount of fund to make the rail lines electric. If the pilot project goes as per the plan, the agency plans to do so using solar power. The UK government also plans to get rid of the diesel employment on the rail network by the end of 2040.
Those working on the solar project claimed to the media that the renewable power might fuel 15% of commuter lines in Sussex, Kent, and Wessex along with the solar trains in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Nottingham, and Manchester. In addition to this, the solar energy might also power 20% of the Liverpool Merseyrail network. Apart from being a greener kind of energy as compared to diesel, the solar farms might supply affordable energy as compared to the natural grid’s electricity, which can lower the prices for railways.
Speaking of solar power, earlier this month Amazon declared 2 new renewable power projects. The declaration follows months after the firm’s shareholder refused a plea by workers to do more about climate change. Amazon earlier shared plans for a solar farm in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and a wind farm in Ireland. When done sometime next year, these projects are anticipated to create a combined clean energy worth 168,000 MWh each year, assisting Amazon reach its objective to fuel 100% of its processes using renewable energy.
