As a government-owned company, SBB participates in the Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative. In doing so, SBB also hopes to play its part as an innovative company and role model in the area of renewable energy generation.
To this end, SBB owns a large portfolio of buildings, infrastructure and areas which are potentially suitable for generating energy from renewable sources. By 2030, 30 gigawatt hours of domestic electricity will be generated each year from renewable energy sources, mainly photovoltaic systems. Further possibilities for generating renewable electricity from wind power or small hydropower are being examined.
The SBB has a great many roof areas, be they on platforms, railway engineering buildings or railway stations. That’s why SBB examines every new construction project to see whether the spaces are suitable for the installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems. But that's not all; all existing buildings are being checked to see whether they are suitable for PV systems. Well over 100 current properties are being gradually retrofitted with PV systems.
Since 2020, a photovoltaic system on the roof of the frequency converter in Zurich Seebach has been the first to produce traction power directly. It feeds via an existing transformer directly into the traction power grid. This innovative direct feed minimises losses during conversion and makes more traction power available.
Given the high demand for traction power, the concept of new renewable energies being fed from local sites directly into the traction power grid offers great potential for the sustainable and economic production of photovoltaic energy and wind energy.
SBB has wind power potential that is being analysed in individual cases and the possibility of a direct feed into the traction power grid is being reviewed. SBB sees greater potential for generating electricity from wind power in small high-performance turbines – these systems are more implementable and acceptable in Switzerland than large wind turbines.
