Until the last decade, our mode of commute was conventional gasoline vehicles. A sudden shift to green energy for transportation has created chaos in our power grid. The remarkable increase in the use of electric vehicles (EVs) has resulted in a massive rise in demand for electric energy across the globe. This demand there accounts for renewable EV charging stations to provide green energy. Today transportation accounts for 24% of direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion globally. In India, one-third of the greenhouse gases are from the daily commute. If you noticed the atmosphere the day after Diwali, the morning atmosphere will be full of smog. You can barely see the nearby cityscape, not only that even the next building becomes invisible.
The Environment Ministry of India stated that the Covid-19 lockdown reduced the carbon emissions by automobiles by 8% in 2020. It may feel like a small number to you but 8% of 2535 million tons emissions in 2016 means 203 million tons of CO2 reduction in 2020. This should be the triggering point to “Go Electric”. Electric vehicles have proven to reduce the carbon footprint preserving our planet. A drastic shift has been noticed from gasoline to electric vehicles in the 2nd decade of the 21st century as you can see. Check details here
You must be thinking that the demand reduced in 2020, compared to the Covid impact, the demand in India is pretty high and it is ever increasing. With the higher sales of EVs, the demand for proper charging infrastructure has been rising. The Indian Government have introduced incentives and support in-house development of charging infrastructures.
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Why Renewable EV Charging Stations?
Power Quality issues have been a common challenge throughout this development of EV charging stations. Let me explain to you what is it first!
Our electricity supply grid is getting saturated with more and more development of infrastructure. Sometimes you may notice voltage fluctuations. As you go far away from the distribution centres city outskirts) the level of fluctuations increase. You may have also faced device damages caused by this phenomenon.
Why does voltage fluctuation occur?
If I keep the natural phenomenon like thunder & lightning aside voltage fluctuations occur due to the poor quality of transmission lines. Okay, let’s ignore that as well. The other and major reason is the power factor not reaching ‘1’. Basically if the load increases suddenly, fluctuations occur. Now coming to the EV charging station point of view, the traditional charging stations affect the grid’s stability with issues such as harmonics, fluctuations, and voltage outages
A shift to renewable energy-based charging stations eliminates the power degradation in the supply grid. No! this is not the only reason but just a part of it from a technical perspective. in the previous blog, I mentioned why renewable energy-based charging stations are the future.
After the announcement of the rapid development of the EV at the turn of the millennium, renewable energy-based wind and solar charging infrastructure are being looked into. It envisioned a charging facility that could match EV demand with renewables and direct current (DC) to improve shortcomings of conventional charging infrastructure. Besides, it requires less power conversion levels than those in alternating current (AC)-based facilities.
Renewable Energy and Carbon Footprint
This picture is from a famous troll of 2020 where an EV charging station is powered by a diesel generator. The definition of “Green Energy” is lost as we still stick to fossil fuels for generating electricity. This contributes to the generation of greenhouse gases and carbon footprints.
EVs need anywhere between 24 and 50kWh of electricity to travel 100 miles, and this electricity comes from the grid. Increased electrification will boost national consumption by as much as 38% by 2050. Essentially, unless the electricity that powers EVs is clean, EVs can never be a fully green option. The Renewable Energy Charging Infrastructures can contribute significantly to reducing carbon emissions lowering the cost of EV charging. EVs might be the key to linking the renewable power and low-carbon transport sectors, for the good of everyone.
1. Charging station with preinstalled Renewables
A heavenly match is a Rooftop Solar panel and an EV charging port at your home. Most electric 2 wheelers and small 3 & 4 wheelers are charged at home using level 1 or level 2 charging. You can completely go green if you generate your electricity using solar panels (of course windmills are not possible). You can now install our Charzer Apparment Charging Station with any power level to enter the future of living.
Workplace renewable charging is a necessity as more and more EV users are working professionals. A fully integrated solar PV, storage and EV charging hub setup will be toppings on your pizza. Ah! dint mean the actual pizza though. You will eliminate CO2 exhaust from your automobile, save the cost of travel and adopt sustainable and eco-friendly ways of commuting.
Public charging stations use rooftop solar panels to generate electricity. ATUM Charge is India’s first 100% Green, Self-Sustaining, Solar-Powered EV Charging Station. It helps customers truly Each ATUM Charge EV Charging Station needs just about 200 square feet. ATUM launched Renewable EV Charging Stations in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana.
2. Get a Green Tarrif
Now, this is applicable for both home and public charging where it is not feasible to install solar panels. No worries, India is moving into renewable energy generation for its grid through wind power, hydroelectric power or solar power. This major shift from coal-based energy generation to renewable-based is slowly turning the grid greener. Green tariffs are great as they provide a greater incentive. So green tariffs are great, but it’s still vital to ensure you’re using energy efficiently. Your prime duty should be minimising energy waste and being smart with when you use energy to reduce the need for fossil fuels.
EV charging station in Bangalore
A solar photovoltaic powered electric vehicle charging station has been developed at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. The custom-made off-grid system comprises a solar photovoltaic (PV) module, hybrid inverter, battery storage and an EV charger. This renewable charging station can improve air quality, reduce the challenges due to EV charging infrastructure and power grid management.
Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) demonstrated the idea of directly using solar energy to charge EVs. The project aims to connect renewable energy generation and EV charging load. At present, certain states have subsidised tariffs for EV charging. The cost of generation has currently become very competitive to the grid tariff. The solar project would be an effective alternative as a low-cost energy source.
Nice post! Ahead of rapid EV adoption worldwide, companies preparing relentlessly to install more EV charging stations at public places, apartments, parking areas etc. Indian Govt. aims to set up at least 22,000 charging stations at petrol pumps for user convenience.