New York City Leads the Nation With First Solar Powered Train

New York City Leads the Nation With First Solar Powered Train

New York’s Stillwell Avenue Subway Station officially became the first solar-powered train station in the country on October 3, according to Schott Solar, the company that installed the solar modules, which light up the roof of the Coney Island station.

“The MTA of New York should be congratulated for its forward thinking,” said Dr.Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of the Board of Schott, AG. “The solar roof that covers the Stillwell Avenue Station should serve as a model for subway systems around the world. As a global leader in technology, we are looking forward to participating in the growth of the solar market and we’ll work to set international benchmarks.”

Called “thin-film building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) solar components,” the system blends seamlessly with the architecture of existing buildings. “The Stillwell Avenue Station illustrates what can be done with photovoltaics today,” says Steve Cohen, Product Manager, of SCHOTT’s Architectural Glass division. “Solar systems no longer have to be bulky add-ons, they can become an integral part of a structure.

The solar roof consists of 2,800 thin-film modules and covers a surface of 76,000 square feet. The system has a nominal power of approximately 210 kilowatts (kWp). This generates an annual output of 250,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) that the train station uses to offset its own power needs. During the summer, the system satisfies 2/3 of the station’s entire power demands. During the winter, it supplies 1/6th of the electricity that the station requires. Because they are semitransparent, the modules provide shade, yet still permit 20 to 25 percent of daylight to pass through, all of which reduces energy costs for lighting the station.

The thin-film modules made of amorphous silicon are manufactured by Schott Solar, Inc. Schott’s amorphous silicon thin-film solar panels were chosen in a rigorous evaluation process based on a variety of criteria, including price of the panels, cost of installation, power-generating efficiency and aesthetics. The solar panels also had to meet stringent structural and maintenance requirements such as the Dade County hurricane test.