Sun-Powered High-Speed Rail
Europe making progress on sustainable transportation
Progress was made in Europe on the transportation front, as a high-speed rail line running between Paris and Amsterdam now runs partially on the sun. The train draws power from 2.1 miles of solar panels that sit atop a train tunnel.
Trains with solar roofs are not completely new; they first appeared in Italy in 2005. However, those earlier panels only served to keep the train’s air conditioning units running. The new solar panels, which are located on a stretch of rail that runs through Belgium, can power the equivalent of 4,000 train trips and cut the railway’s carbon dioxide input by 2,400 tons annually.
Other projects in Europe will incorporate solar energy as well, including London’s new Blackfriar station (set to open next year), which will obtain half of its electricity needs from the sun.