Power on the tracks

The Sun-Ways design uses solar panels that are pinned in place by pistons that press against the steel rails. — Sun-Ways via The New York Times

MORE than 4,800km of railways crisscross the Swiss countryside, linking Alpine ­villages to big cities like Zurich and Geneva. It’s the most dense rail network in Europe.

Now, a startup company and a local rail operator have found a way to use that land to generate clean electricity: lay solar panels between the rails.