The potential of Photovoltaics to power the railway System in China

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s forecast, China will fully electrify its railway system by 2050. However, the development of electrified railways is limited in the weak areas of China’s power grid. To surpass these limitations, we turn our attention to new railway energy sources, among which the most suitable is photovoltaic power generation. To evaluate the feasibility of integrating railway systems and photovoltaic power generation in China, this paper analyzes the geographical conditions and railway layout of China, gives a potential method for evaluating railway asset energy transformation measures and asset energy transformations that are suitable for China’s national conditions, and proposes an application of railway system energy transformation on this basis. Then, this method is used to evaluate the potential of a substation section of the Lanxin high-speed railway in China for reference. The results show that the green energy potential and scheduling potential of China’s railway assets are great and can effectively alleviate the energy anxiety of China’s railway system.