Engineering How could a solar farm affect the trains' signalling?

[t0mm02]

Homework Statement

No homework, just curiosity

Relevant Equations

No equation

How could a solar farm that would provide electricity to trains railway affect the train's signalling?

 

[phinds]

You think maybe you could be a little more vague?

 

[t0mm02]

You think maybe you could be a little more vague?

If I build a solar farm to provide electricity to the train railway, is it anyway that the signalling could be affected by having an exterior energy source rather than national grid energy?

 

[berkeman]

I never travel on trains after dark anyway, so it won't affect me.

 

[phinds]

If I build a solar farm to provide electricity to the train railway, is it anyway that the signalling could be affected by having an exterior energy source rather than national grid energy?

Yes, I understood that to be the intent of your question. I still find it too vague to answer since you give zero specifics on the circuitry, voltages, connections, etc. involved.

 

[berkeman]

Maybe Hdez is worried that the 500 Watt train signal lights might lose power before the MegaWatt electric trains do...

https://www.abc.net.au/science/news/img/health/redlight081105.jpg

 

[Frodo]

If I build a solar farm to provide electricity to the train railway, is [there] anyway that the signalling could be affected by having an exterior energy source rather than national grid energy?

I think other responders have been too cautious. All we need to do is to make some assumptions:

• You build your solar farm in Afghanistan
• Your train is in Venezuela
• The electrical power from your Afghanistan solar farm which you feed into the Venezuelan train infrastructure meets the Venezuelan standards for electrical power. It is therefore indistinguishable from electrical power taken from the Venezuelan electrical grid

I think I can be reasonably confident in predicting there will be no effect on the train system signalling and especially so during the hours of Afghanistan darkness.

 

[phinds]

So, @t0mm02 you see what happens in a thread when you pose a question that is so vague as to be unanswerable?

 

[Frodo]

... a question that is so vague as to be unanswerable?

May I dispute "unanswerable"?

It is answerable ...

... but the assumptions which need to be made give an answer which is probably of no use whatsoever.

Of course, if you have a solar farm in Afghanistan, if your train is in Venezuela and if you only want the train to run during the hours of Afghanistan sunshine then I think my answer is excellent. But, to paraphrase Mandy Rice-Davies, "Well, I would, wouldn't I?".

 

[256bits]

So, @t0mm02 you see what happens in a thread when you pose a question that is so vague as to be unanswerable?

Yes, well, the solar farm size is not stated and what it connects to.

We could have a very small solar farm with, just one solar panel, supplying the electricity for the signal lights, with battery storage for periods of weak sunshine. With a prolonged period of weak sunshine, the batteries may drain to the point where they cannot provide enough power to the signal lights, and a failure of some sort ensues, perhaps even to the train itself somehow if we are talking about track signals, or to a car that wishes ( actually it is the driver who wishes - the car and passengers in the car go along for the ride ) to cross a level crossing, and is now not warned of a train approaching .