British media: the world’s first railway line powered by solar energy was opened in Britain

Reference News Network reported on September 1 that British media said that more than 100 solar panels of a solar power station in Hampshire, UK, were connected to a railway line for the first time in the world.

According to the Daily Mail website on August 23, the railway near aldeshott, UK, received 30 kW of power from a nearby solar power station on August 23. This renewable power will be used to power the signal and lighting systems of the railway network company Wessex line.

It is reported that the British railway network company is vigorously promoting to get rid of diesel powered locomotives and electrify railways to reduce its carbon footprint. The pilot project was jointly conceived by the charity “10:10 climate action” and Imperial College of technology.

The R & D team of the project called “riding the sun” said that this is the first example in the world of using solar energy to power railway lines. Leo Murray, the project leader, said: “the action of linking Britain’s largest electricity user – Railway and Britain’s favorite energy – solar energy seems to be the beginning of a perfect relationship.”

“Helping railways get rid of fossil fuels in this way will reduce operating costs, benefit local communities and help solve the climate crisis,” he said

“We are proud to work with the ’10:10 climate action’, Southern community energy and other participants to implement this exciting world’s first project on the Wessex line,” said Stuart kistrak, director of line asset management of the Wessex line of the railway network company “Our ambition is to further extend this technology to the whole road network once the demonstration project is proved to be successful, so that we can build more environmentally friendly and better railways for passengers and the wider public,” he said

The project also estimates that solar energy can provide power for one-fifth of Liverpool’s Mersey railway network and 15% of commuter lines in Kent, Sussex and Wessex.