Solarpunk

Terrible idea. Just put a bunch of solar panels in a field. We’re not lacking for space!

People touting the benefits of automated maintenance are missing the fact that solar panels in a field need basically no maintenance at all, whereas railways need constant maintenance and heavy trains are going to do a ton of damage to anything between the tracks.

When a train goes by, the rails literally move up and down, flexing under the heavy load and creating local pressure waves which the ballast (gravel around the tracks) is designed to absorb. Solar panels are made of brittle materials (usually glass) which would shatter if flexed even a small amount. Making special “tough” solar panels to be able to withstand those heavy loads is going to result in very expensive solar panels that produce a lot less electricity because they’re not made of very thin, highly transparent glass.