Int' Brief: Germany’s Rail Solar Potential, GM Faces Blow From Trump Cuts EV

Germany’s Rail Grid Holds 37.6 GW Solar Potential, Says Fraunhofer ISE

Deutsche Bahn is one of the largest electricity consumers in Germany, operating nearly 8,000 kilometers of its own power grid. A consortium led by Fraunhofer ISE undertook a project called PV4Rail, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, to examine the potential use of this grid for feeding in solar power.

Currently, generation facilities with a total capacity of about 2 GW are installed on the Deutsche Bahn grid. So far in Germany, solar PV systems have been limited to pilot projects. However, in their research, the Fraunhofer ISE team identified suitable areas nationwide and evaluated their potential through detailed simulations. The study found that even when considering only areas within a two-kilometer radius of railway substations, the possible installed capacity could reach 37.6 GWp, with a potential annual energy yield of 32,920 GWh. In comparison, the total electricity demand for train operations was around 7,500 GWh in 2023.

GM Takes USD 1.6B hit as Trump slashes EV tax incentives

General Motors reported a USD 1.6 billion impairment charge tied to unused EV capacity as a direct impact of the US President's decision to cut tax incentives and relax emissions rules.  Notably, Republicans removed the USD 7,500 clean vehicle tax credit. GM warned that the recent US policy changes are bound to slow down EV adoption.

As per GM, about USD 1.2 billion is due to idle EV production assets, and about USD 400 million is a result of cancelled contracts with suppliers. Following the announcement, Investors were quick to react; the shares fell less than 2 percent on Tuesday, and General Motors Co. warned it may take additional hits as it adjusts production with non-cash charges.