AREP, a subsidiary of the French rail operator SNCF, has used a prototype of a mini-outer solar energy plant on non-running rails to test it for six months. The solution is sent in standardized ISO containers, including inverters and storage batteries.
SNCF offers considerable land for land-based PV in France, with more than 113,800 hectares available for solar energy. To use the PV potential of non-operational railway lines, the subsidiary of SNCF, AREP, has developed a containers-based Zonne-Plus-Storage factory that can be placed on the rails and can be moved if necessary.
The Solveig project, which aims to test this solution, validated its proof of concept on January 17 by deploying eight solar panels in the Achères Technical Center, where they will undergo testing for six months. The system uses standardized ISO containers to transport the panels, inverters and storage batteries to train locations, either by the road or the track.
“We have developed a system for supplying PV panels with the help of ISO containers and also a logistics method to install them on tracks that facilitate the use of the panels, as well as the reversibility of the installation,” Arp director said from Innovation Alistair Lenczner against PV Magazine France.
ARP uses a telescopic arm to unload the panels, which are then attached to the rails to prevent wind exposure. The temporary installation requires no foundations or construction work and the integrated solar and storage system is modular.
The following steps will focus on optimizing the system for greater efficiency and cost -effectiveness, although there is no timeline for the industrialization phase.
Currently, the Intra-SNCF energy consumption solution serves, with studies for broader distribution that have been set to adapt to market needs. Lenczner said that the solution has the export potential throughout Europe and the rest of the world, because of the standardized, container -based design that adapts to logistics limitations.
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