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Saintes (6 July) - SNCF have unveiled their first TER train equipped with solar panels, as part of a three year experiment in Poitou-Charentes.

The new train was presented at the maintenance centre in Saintes (Charente Maritime) by TER director Claude Solard, with regional president Ségolène Royal in attendance.

Whilst solar power will not be enough to replace the diesel engines used in TER trains, it will power all of the lighting and air conditioning functions independently, and will remove the need for batteries to be charged at stations during stops.  In the event of a breakdown, lighting and ventilation will be able to be maintained. 

Manufacturers of the new system say the photovoltaic panels attached to the roof of the carriages will save between 10 and 15 tonnes of CO2 per year for a six carriage train. Many lights in the carriages will be replaced with LED versions in order to optimise the system.

The initiative is in keeping with the green credentials of Poitou Charentes, where solar and wind power is firmly on the agenda, and where significant investment has been made in recent years in the development of electric vehicles.  In 2007 the region started using agrocarburant (organic fuel) in regional trains for the first time.

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