The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Burgenland Energie have inaugurated, in Donnerskirchen, the first agrovoltaic photovoltaic plant with a solar tracker system designed to generate electricity for railways at a frequency of 16.7 Hz, which is used by Austria’s railway network. The project is a world first and combines renewable energy production with organic farming without reducing the area available for cultivation.
The new facility uses mobile photovoltaic panels that automatically adjust their position according to the sun’s path, thereby increasing energy production. At the same time, the land beneath the panels remains fully usable for agricultural activities, as the project brings together energy production, agriculture, and biodiversity conservation.
The energy produced is fed directly into the railway power grid thanks to the plant’s location in the immediate vicinity of the Pannoniabahn line, which reduces energy losses and increases the system’s efficiency.
“With the agrovoltaic plant in Donnerskirchen, we are taking another important step toward an even more sustainable railway. Our goal is to steadily expand our own production of green electricity for the railway and to generate energy exactly where it is consumed. Directly supplying the railway grid increases energy security and reduces energy losses,” said Silvia Angelo, a member of the Board of Directors of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG.
With an installed capacity of 6.6 MWp and an estimated annual output of 8.3 GWh, the plant generates enough energy to power approximately 32,500 train trips between Vienna and Eisenstadt.
Renewable Energy and Agriculture on the Same Land
According to the project partners, the facility is the first in Austria to use a solar tracking system to generate electricity for the railway and, at the same time, the first of its kind worldwide. The solution allows the land to be used simultaneously for organic farming and renewable energy production without losing agricultural acreage.
“This innovative project demonstrates how we can strengthen Austria’s energy independence through the use of renewable sources. A seven-hectare area next to the railroad tracks, previously used exclusively for organic farming, is now combined with a photovoltaic power plant equipped with a sun-tracking system. Approximately eight million kWh of solar energy produced annually are fed directly into the railway grid and power ÖBB trains,” said Stephan Sharma, CEO of Burgenland Energie.
The facility was designed without soil sealing, preserving the land’s natural drainage capacity and allowing for the complete dismantling of the infrastructure at the end of its life cycle. In addition, the project includes additional plantings to create habitats favorable to local wildlife, and the land continues to be used for agriculture by the Esterhazy Ecological Estate, demonstrating that the same area can be used simultaneously for agricultural production, renewable energy generation, and biodiversity conservation.
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