Study of energy harvesting transport infrastructure by utilizing solar photovoltaic system for ballastless and ballasted railway tracks: A Singapore case study

Singapore raises its ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 with the power sector having a key part in the contribution. Solar remains the most promising renewable energy source for Singapore and aims to deploy at least 2-gigawatt peak (GWp) by 2030. Nevertheless, there are still limitations to the amount of solar energy that can be harnessed due to Singapore’s limited land area of approximately 728.6 km 2 . In this study, a photovoltaics (PV) system adapted to the railway track infrastructure of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network in Singapore has been developed to enable the installation of PV modules in the track area. Potentially, a total track length of 140 km on overground railway track sections results in a total area between the running rails providing a potential surface area of 200,000 m². As a result, at least 18 megawatt-peak (MWp) of PV capacity can be installed. This PV system can produce annually 22.56 gigawatt-hour (GWh) which could save a total of over 8700 tons of CO 2 emissions per year.