Austrailia Solar Powered Train (Byron Bay)

[STrRedWolf]

This came across the wires here:

http://byronbaytrain.com.au/

This... kinda would be technically solar powered. The train itself is more of a light rail vehicle set, the solar panels get a max 6.5kW and the route is two stops on a relatively short distance.

Still... it makes you wonder.

[electricron]

10 minutes to travel 3 kilometers. That's just 18 kilometers per hour. That's a streetcar or tram like speed, not the speed of an intercity or commuter train.

FTI = 18 kilometers per hour = 11 miles per hour.

[David Benton]

Its a tourist operation . Speed is probably not that important.

[typesix]

The website does say the train is capable of 115 km/hr and the battery set can make 12-15 trips as they are currently used. A diesel is backup.

[electricron]

The website does say the train is capable of 115 km/hr and the battery set can make 12-15 trips as they are currently used. A diesel is backup.

Let’s be generous, 15 trips x 3 kilometers = 45 kilometers. 45 kilometers/18 kilometers/hour = ~2.5 hours.

So this tram on average charges 12 hours per day to charge a battery being used for just 2.5 hours a day. And for backup, still requires a diesel to generate power to run the electric motor(s).
Dallas has been running Brookville built Liberty streetcars about 3 kilometers at a go on batteries for a while across the Houston Street Viaduct over the Trinity River for a while. Where the electricity comes from certainly isn’t solar, but Oncor (TXU) generates power from wind, nuclear, natural gas, and lignite. By connecting to the grid, reliability should be greater.