Renfe aims to become more energy independent by building solar plants

Solar plant in Granada, Spain (illustrative image)
Solar plant in Granada, Spain (illustrative image)

Spanish railway operator Renfe plans to build a 20 MW solar panel facility to power its trains, after which many will follow. Most of the generated electricity will be used for train traction, with any excess power being sold on the market. 

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Author: Esther Geerts

Former Editor RailTech.com

5 comments op “Renfe aims to become more energy independent by building solar plants”

Long Branch Mike|09.10.23|16:26

Shouldn’t the headline say ‘energy independent’?

Long Branch Mike|09.10.23|16:28

Or solar energy dependent?

Esther Geerts|10.10.23|09:22

Hi, yes indeed it should be energy independent, thanks for pointing that out. It’s now corrected.

Joachim Falkenhagen|25.10.23|22:10

This is probably a stock photo from a decade-old solar installation with 2-axialsolar tracking. Nowadays,solar farms are usually built with fixed installation of modules, and less often with one-axial tracking of the sun.

Joachim Falkenhagen|01.04.24|11:42

20 MW might yield 30-35 GWh annually, equal to 0.03 – 0.035 TWh. RENFE used 2.46 TWh in 2019. So that solar farm provides a little over 1 percent of total power demand.

Though the solar production curve does not follow the demand curve of train operations, power from around 20 – 25 of such plants could fully serve trains, while a higher solar share would require some storage or peak solar productions that the railway cannot take up. East-west orientation of panels would also improve usability.

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Renfe aims to become more energy independent by building solar plants | RailTech.com

Renfe aims to become more energy independent by building solar plants

Solar plant in Granada, Spain (illustrative image)
Solar plant in Granada, Spain (illustrative image)

Spanish railway operator Renfe plans to build a 20 MW solar panel facility to power its trains, after which many will follow. Most of the generated electricity will be used for train traction, with any excess power being sold on the market. 

Want to read more?

Subscribe now!

Take advantage of our exclusive offer to get full access to all premium content.

See the offer

Author: Esther Geerts

Former Editor RailTech.com

5 comments op “Renfe aims to become more energy independent by building solar plants”

Long Branch Mike|09.10.23|16:26

Shouldn’t the headline say ‘energy independent’?

Long Branch Mike|09.10.23|16:28

Or solar energy dependent?

Esther Geerts|10.10.23|09:22

Hi, yes indeed it should be energy independent, thanks for pointing that out. It’s now corrected.

Joachim Falkenhagen|25.10.23|22:10

This is probably a stock photo from a decade-old solar installation with 2-axialsolar tracking. Nowadays,solar farms are usually built with fixed installation of modules, and less often with one-axial tracking of the sun.

Joachim Falkenhagen|01.04.24|11:42

20 MW might yield 30-35 GWh annually, equal to 0.03 – 0.035 TWh. RENFE used 2.46 TWh in 2019. So that solar farm provides a little over 1 percent of total power demand.

Though the solar production curve does not follow the demand curve of train operations, power from around 20 – 25 of such plants could fully serve trains, while a higher solar share would require some storage or peak solar productions that the railway cannot take up. East-west orientation of panels would also improve usability.

Add your comment

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