Charging where we generate energy
Electric transport is growing fast. But where do you charge all those vehicles when new grid connections are almost impossible to secure? We are choosing a new route. By connecting charging hubs directly to our solar parks, we create a new type of energy hub.
Electric transport calls for new choices
More and more trucks and logistics vehicles are going electric. That is good news. But more electric transport also means growing demand for charging hubs. And charging hubs need electricity. Electricity that is not always available because of grid congestion.
That is exactly why we organise charging differently at Novar. We do not look at where there is space on the grid. We look at where we generate energy.
Charging where we generate energy
By connecting charging hubs to our solar parks, we use energy directly at the place where we generate it. We use the energy where it is produced. This prevents us from having to feed energy back into an already full electricity grid.
Many solar parks are located in areas with physical space, but limited grid capacity. By developing charging hubs there, we use the generated energy locally. And we make it possible to charge electric transport in places where a grid connection is not available.
Using energy in a smart manner
A charging hub at a solar park works differently from a traditional charging hub. A solar park of 40 to 60 hectares produces tens of gigawatt hours of electricity each year. On sunny days, we generate a lot of energy. Often more than is needed at that moment. That is surplus energy.
That surplus energy does not always fit onto the electricity grid, which is often already full. In that case, there is only one thing we can do: curtail. The energy is not used. That is a waste, especially when there is so much renewable energy available on sunny days.
By connecting charging hubs to our solar parks, we can use that surplus energy. Sunny moment? Then we charge electric vehicles directly with renewable energy, or temporarily store the green energy in batteries. At a later, less sunny moment, we use that energy again to charge transport.
By using energy directly for charging, we make better use of what we generate and prevent curtailment.
That is how we build a flexible energy system. With this system, we make charging possible without needing new grid connections. At the same time, we absorb peaks and dips and make better use of our energy.
Together with Entent
By combining charging infrastructure with local energy generation, we are building a new type of energy hub. We are doing this together with Entent.
Entent develops and operates the charging hubs. We build the energy system: the connection with solar parks, battery storage and the smart control of energy. Together, we realise charging hubs in locations where the electricity grid has no capacity.
One solution for two challenges
By generating, storing and charging locally, we use energy more efficiently. We prevent curtailment of solar parks and make electric transport possible in new locations. That means we solve two challenges at once: grid congestion and the growth of electric transport.
A new type of energy hub
The energy transition does not only call for new energy sources. It calls for new systems. From separate assets to one integrated system, where generation, charging and storage come together.
