EEVblog 1683 - Sun-Ways Solar Freakin' RAILways - Part 2
Added 2025-05-05 07:45:06 +0000 UTCPre-release.
I was supposed to do a measurement video on the BM787BT meter today before I leave for the Electronex show tomorrow, but the UNi-T meter played up on so. So I did this instead as a lot of people asked for it.
Comments
I know let’s put solar panels at the bottom of the ocean. It’s insane but that hasn’t stopped anyone yet.
Billy Martin
2025-09-21 19:21:05 +0000 UTCEven if by some miracle the panels lasted 20 years, you'd have to remove and reinstall them at least 20 times. Maybe not on this infrequently used end line, but on main lines there is regular maintenance.
EEVblog
2025-05-08 23:30:52 +0000 UTCYes. It's actually only 500m from the road crossing (no gates or signals), so I'm sure there is a very low approach limit there. But yes, it could get to the maximum 70km by the time it reaches the panels. This is not good news for the panels.
EEVblog
2025-05-08 23:29:52 +0000 UTCI think you are wrong in the assumption that trains cannot travel very fast at the point where the solar panels are. I work in the rail business and sometimes do calculations on accelerating trains. Two things you need to know: The maximum accelaration depends on the speed of the train, the faster the train already goes, the less it can accelerate. To conserve energy, trains tend to accelerate as much as possible in the beginning, then coasting up to the destination. We calculate with an acceleration of a=1.6m/s² for speeds between 0 and 8.3m/s (that speed is reached from standstill in 5.2s, traveled distance is 22m). Then a=0.85m/s² up to 30.5m/s (takes another 26s and 500m). After that, a=0.6m/s². The distance between the station's buffers and the point where the solar panels are is 950m (guess from google maps). Subtract a train length of e.g. 100m and the train has 850m to accelerate. In this distance, the train could have reached a maximum speed of 36.3m/s, that is 130km/h. I don't know what the maximum speed is on that location, but the train may have reached it very well.
Charles Ouweland
2025-05-05 20:10:16 +0000 UTCI guess Sun-Ways have learned from the criticism that solar panels are in the way of railway maintenance and they now boast that they have solved that problem with these removable panels. That being said, I agree with the other issues, like dirt, vibrations, dangling couplers and other stuff, shadow, suboptimal angle, risk of theft etc.
Charles Ouweland
2025-05-05 20:10:06 +0000 UTC
