A project to electrify train lines in Wales using community-owned renewable energy and storage technologies has been awarded a grant worth £110,000, after winning the Rail Safety and Standards Board's 'Intelligent Power Solutions to Decarbonise Rail' competition.

The Green Valley Lines initiative - led by climate charity 10:10 in partnership with Community Energy South's social enterprise Riding Sunbeams - will explore plans for the smart electrification of commuter lines to and from Cardiff.

Working with Network Rail, the Energy Saving Trust, and engineering consultancy Ricardo, the project will identify potential sites to install community-owned solar, wind or hydroelectric generators next to railway lines in the region. These units would then directly supply the lines with low-carbon electricity, whilst in turn providing financial benefits to local communities, who would own them.

The study will also scope technical solutions for directly connecting renewables to overhead electrified lines, and analyse how best to integrate new energy storage technologies to help keep electrification costs down.

The initiative is one of six projects to win funding through the Rail Safety Board's competition, launched to help deliver Ministers' commitment to remove diesel-only trains from Britain's railways by 2040.

Despite this commitment, most rail electrification projects in the UK have been paused since 2016. Plans to electrify several sections of the rail network have been scrapped altogether, with the government claiming that technological advances such as hydrogen power - which emits only water and vapour rather than CO2 - means it is no longer necessary to electrify the whole network.

However, the government's recent Rail Sector Deal made no mention of either electrification or hydrogen, raising concerns about the Department for Transport's commitment to decarbonising the rail sector.

Facing such central government inaction, devolution has allowed Transport for Wales to push ahead with ambitious plans for a South Wales Metro network that would boast high environmental standards.

Trains will not be permitted to run on diesel north of Cardiff under the plans, and all energy for the newly electrified lines would come from renewable sources - with 50 per cent originating from Welsh generators. Transport for Wales are supporting the Green Valley Lines project as a way to help meet these goals.

"This exciting study is a golden opportunity to work out how to use new technologies to bring together Welsh leadership on rail electrification and community owned renewables," said Leo Murray, director of innovation at 10:10. "South Wales is rich in renewable energy resources, with a thriving community energy sector that could be the perfect complement to Network Rail's pioneering plans for smart rail electrification in the region."