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In the NoCo
In The NoCo

How delivering solar and wind energy by train could help power Colorado鈥檚 cities

By In The NoCo,
Erin O'Toole, Brad Turner, Ariel Lavery
Published March 3, 2025 at 5:35 AM MST
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This photo shows several train cars with the logo of SunTrain, a company that aims to ship renewable energy by train, using massive batteries charged at renewable energy generation sites. A large solar panel array is shown in the front, and the two SunTrain cars sit on a rail line with other freight train cars on tracks behind them.
Courtesy of Christopher Smith / SunTrain
"Our railroad network is sprawling and is one of the best in the world; and it moves virtually every form of energy that we already use in great amounts: natural gas, coal, oil, ethanol, shales, biomass, even spent nuclear waste," says SunTrain President and CTO Christopher Smith. "So the idea was, why can't we run raw electricity as a commodity over that network, just like we move everything else?" The company is piloting a method to transport renewable energy from wind and solar generation sites in rural areas, using large batteries on train cars.

Colorado has ambitious goals around renewable energy. Governor Jared Polis is aiming for to come from renewable sources by the year 2040.

But there鈥檚 an obstacle: Colorado doesn鈥檛 have enough power lines to deliver all that renewable energy from where it鈥檚 produced 鈥� often in rural parts of the state 鈥� to where it鈥檚 needed. A new study from the state鈥檚 Electric Transmission Authority found that over the next decade or two, just to keep up with demand.

Which is why clean energy advocates, and Gov. Polis, are intrigued by an unusual business model from a San Francisco-based .

The plan involves loading train cars with massive batteries filled with renewable energy. The trains would haul batteries from solar and wind farms in rural areas of Colorado to the cities and towns that need that electricity.

SunTrain鈥檚 President Christopher Smith and CEO Jeff Anderson have been working with Xcel Energy to pilot their idea. They hope to demonstrate the concept in Pueblo in 2026.

They spoke with Erin O鈥橳oole about , and how much of an impact it could have on Colorado鈥檚 energy landscape.

This photo shows a yellow platform on a railroad track demonstrating how SunTrain batteries would be charged with solar or wind power before being transported on freight cars to provide electricity to metro areas.
Courtesy of Christopher Smith / SunTrain
A rendering of SunTrain batteries charging. The company's CTO Christopher Smith says charging takes about 4 hours. One train is designed to carry roughly 2 gigawatt hours of renewable energy, enough to power a city of 100,000 for about two days.

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In The NoCo Renewable EnergySolar EnergyWind EnergyColorado Energy OfficeXcel Energy
In The NoCo
KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
See stories by In The NoCo
Erin O'Toole
As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
See stories by Erin O'Toole
Brad Turner
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.
See stories by Brad Turner
Ariel Lavery
Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.
See stories by Ariel Lavery