Fact Check: Indian railway tracks to get solar panels? No, Sun-Ways is a Swiss project

Hyderabad: A post making claims that solar panels will be installed by the start-up company Sun-Ways between active railway tracks is circulating on social media.

The viral Facebook post reads, “In a game-changing move for sustainable infrastructure, India startup Sun-Ways is deploying removable solar panels directly between railway tracks. Trains keep running, and clean energy keeps flowing. No extra land needed. No disruption to rail services. Zero visual pollution. This approach could produce over 1 terawatt-hour of electricity annually, potentially powering over 200,000 homes — all by reimagining the space we already have. (sic)” (Archive)

A post making a similar claim can be seen here. (Archive)

The post also claims that Sun-Ways is an Indian start-up and that the project could produce over 1 terawatt-hour of electricity annually, potentially powering over 200,000 homes.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The rail track solar farm project, headed by Sun-Ways, a Swiss start-up, is being carried out in Switzerland.

We did not find any news reports stating that Sun-Ways is carrying out a solar farm project using Indian railway tracks.

Using keyword searches, we found a report published on April 29 by NDTV titled, ‘Switzerland Trials Railway Tracks With Solar Panels To Power Trains’.

The report stated that Sun-Ways, a solar technology startup in Switzerland, is going to utilise the open space between railway tracks to produce sustainable energy by placing solar panels.

It stated, “48 solar panels have been placed on a 100-metre portion of railway tracks in Buttes, a small village in western Switzerland.” The report also stated that the company has received interest from countries such as China and the US while collaborating on similar projects in South Korea, Spain and Romania.

We also found a report published by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers on May 16, titled, ‘Sun-Ways wants to turn railways around the world into solar power plants – here's how’.

The report stated that the installation of the solar power panels took place on April 24 in Buttes, Western Switzerland. It added, “The 48-panel power plant has forecast production of about 16 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year.”

The official website of Sun-Ways shared a link to a World Economic Forum webpage showing a video titled, ‘Switzerland Is Putting Solar Panels on Railway Tracks’.

The video stated that Sun-ways is collaborating with the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne in a pilot project testing near Buttes in Western Switzerland.

Installation of photovoltaic (PV) panels was carried out using a Scheuchzer company machine. These panels can be easily removed for the railway track maintenance. They are installed on active train tracks where they can withstand trains travelling at speeds of up to 150 km per hour.

According to a report by Euronews, Sun-Ways is a Swiss start-up. It is clear that this is not an Indian start-up company. The Sun-Ways pilot project testing is taking place in Switzerland.

Although the company has received interest from other countries, India is not mentioned in any news reports.

Does Indian Railways employ solar projects?

Indian Railways has carried out many solar power-based projects. Solar plants were installed in 2,249 railway stations and service buildings by February, and the first solar-powered train was launched in 2017.

We did not find any Indian railways solar power farming project using the installation of solar panels between railway tracks.

We have also found that the image and the caption in the viral post were most likely copied from a post made on June 28 by the Unbox Factory Facebook account. (Archive)

The Facebook post reads, “Switzerland is turning train tracks into power plants — without halting a single train. In a game-changing move for sustainable infrastructure, Swiss startup Sun-Ways is deploying removable solar panels directly between railway tracks… In a world battling land scarcity and climate urgency, Switzerland offers a masterclass in innovation: you don’t need new space — just a new mindset. Imagine this tech on India’s railway grid. Or the U.S. Northeast Corridor. The energy potential is global.”

Sun-Ways is a Swiss start-up. Its recent railway track solar farm project was carried out in Buttes, a village in western Switzerland. This project was not carried out in India.

Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false.