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.

Of SBB’s current total of around 300 railway engineering buildings, around 20% are suitable for installing photovoltaic systems and they will be retrofitted with panels in the next few years. In addition, around 10 new railway engineering buildings are built every year and PV systems are installed on them as standard. At the same time, a high degree of standardisation ensures that planning and installation costs can be kept low.

In addition to self-financing the installation of these photovoltaic systems, SBB is making targeted use of PV contracting. This means that an external company plans, builds and operates the PV systems on SBB roofs and supplies SBB with the electricity produced. This arrangement means SBB has strong partners for operating and maintaining its PV systems, while also benefiting from lower energy prices than if the electricity were procured on the market.

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 is now preparing to harness the potential for photovoltaic systems along its rail network with a selection of further projects. This will involve exploiting the potential offered by large roof areas, noise barriers and even embankments and outdoor areas. Likewise, in principle there is also a possibility to harness the PV potential of third-parties with a direct feed into the traction power grid.

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.