EVUpdate report: Solar-powered or solar-supplemented EV charging systems are helping to offset the carbon emissions associated with driving electric vehicles.
On the evening of September 24, the Tesla Motors design studio was dark, and packed with journalists and industry watchers as Elon Musk, wearing a black t-shirt, walked onto the stage.
There are three major roadblocks to wider EV adoption, he told the crowd: the inconvenience related to recharging EVs while on long road trips, the issues around the business case for charging, and the carbon emissions generated by EV charging.
The term "zero emissions" is often used in association with electric vehicle (EV). It's a great marketing tool, but it is also a misnomer.
Even putting the embedded energy and carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and shipping an EV, the energy used to recharge electric vehicle batteries is often derived from coal -- at least partially, and often depending on the local power supply.
With much fanfare, Musk unveiled Tesla Motor's latest product: the SuperCharger. Over the summer, the carmaker had been quietly installing six of these 90 kilowatt solar-powered EV fast-charging stations around California.
The stations are placed strategically along highways such that Tesla Model S drivers in major coastal cities could stop for a recharge on their way to, say, Las Vegas or Lake Tahoe. They are also located along the coast so that one could drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
The chargers are linked to arrays of solar panels made by SolarCity, a California solar power provider of which Musk is an investor and chairman
.
Equipped with an 85 kWh battery pack, in 30 minutes they can give the Model S enough power to drive 150 miles. Plus, they're free to use. This is a boon … for Model S drivers.
No other EV drivers will benefit, however, since Tesla uses a non-standard charging platform
.
Cleaner electrons
Still, the SuperChargers are an important EV industry development in that they address environmental concerns around the source of the energy used to power EVs.
To be clear: the SuperChargers do not convert solar radiation directly into battery power. Each charger is connected to the electricity grid and a battery pack, which stores the energy that the panels generate during daylight hours. That power is then either pulled into a vehicle or directed toward the electric grid, where it becomes part of the local energy mix.
A number of businesses, such as Google and Dell, use solar-powered EV chargers on corporate campuses to power employee fleets and there have been some solar charger rollouts among car dealerships.
But solar-powered chargers could also be used in a number of scenarios benefiting consumers, businesses, as well as utility providers.
One of solar power's most appealing characteristics is that it opens the door to establishing EV chargers in remote locations, where connecting a charger to the local power grid would be either impossible or prohibitively expensive.
DBT, a French manufacturer of electrical equipment including EV chargers, has established an off-grid, solar-powered charger in Jordan.
"Jordan is a good fit because there is a lot of sun and some tourist destinations that are off the grid. It's pretty rugged there, as well, so if it works in Jordan it can work anywhere", says Jake Edie, the vice president of DBT USA, the company's US subsidiary.
DBT USA recently acquired its first Underwriter's Laboratory certification for a level 2 charger which it plans to begin selling into the US market soon. However, Edie says the company has its eyes on a couple different business models for bringing solar-powered chargers to the U.S.
Establishing this electrical service can cost up to $100,000, he says. "Level 3 is much more expensive [than level 2], because you need contractors with more training and certifications to do that work".
Installing a solar-powered EV charger with a battery pack could enable a fast-charging (level 3) station without having to wire the site with a 480-volt electrical hookup. The battery pack linked to solar panels would store an extra boost of power to supplement the charge. For drivers looking to go from a 30 percent charge to 70 percent, for example, such a charger set-up could give a 30-minute fast charge to approximately three vehicles before the battery would be depleted. Once this occurs, the charging station would provide a level 2 charge (until the solar panels recharge the batteries).
Another compelling case for supplementing a charging station with solar power, he says, is to use it as a tool for reducing energy costs for the entity – a business, say, or a public building or school – that pays for a level 2 charger's electric bill.
During times of high demand, many utilities increase electrical rates. Relying on a battery to provide extra power during these times would smooth out that financial hit. A solar panel to power the charger's battery is not necessary in this scenario, Edie notes, but doing so would add more clean, renewable energy to the local energy supply. Plus, if enough solar-and-battery based charging stations were installed throughout a municipality, he says, energy regulators could use the batteries as a tool for frequency regulation.
If demands for power spike, additional load could be pulled from the batteries. If power demand falls and regulators need to balance the load on the grid, excess power could be absorbed by the batteries.
Sunny times for solar
A number of solar installation companies are now selling solar-based EV chargers for home installation, or in some cases are partnering with EVSE companies to provide a combined solution to the residential market.
Last year, SunPower and Ford Motor Company announced a partnership through which consumers who purchase the new electric Ford Focus can receive a 2.5 kilowatt rooftop solar system for around $10,000.
The system would accommodate a customer who drives around 1,000 miles per month. That is a pretty penny to pay for emissions-free fueling at home, but the solar system should generate around 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
It would also enable consumers to offset a good chunk of their home energy bills, depending on how energy efficient their homes are and how much power they generally draw from the grid.
SolarCity, which is providing the solar technology for Tesla's SuperChargers, says it has already installed around 500 solar-powered EV charging stations, and "thousands more" through it SolSource, another solar firm it acquired.
A SolarCity spokesperson told EV Update that it partners with a number of EVSE companies, including ClipperCreek, Coulomb, Schneider, on these chargers.
Michigan-based ViSole Energy has found a niche as a supplier of solar-powered EV charging canopies. Through a partnership with General Motors, the company offers the canopies to GM dealerships and other GM facilities. The panels help power the Chevy Volts in stock at the dealership, but they also offset the grid power consumption at adjacent GM buildings.
On the evening of September 24, the Tesla Motors design studio was dark, and packed with journalists and industry watchers as Elon Musk, wearing a black t-shirt, walked onto the stage.
There are three major roadblocks to wider EV adoption, he told the crowd: the inconvenience related to recharging EVs while on long road trips, the issues around the business case for charging, and the carbon emissions generated by EV charging.
The term "zero emissions" is often used in association with electric vehicle (EV). It's a great marketing tool, but it is also a misnomer.
Even putting the embedded energy and carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and shipping an EV, the energy used to recharge electric vehicle batteries is often derived from coal -- at least partially, and often depending on the local power supply.
With much fanfare, Musk unveiled Tesla Motor's latest product: the SuperCharger. Over the summer, the carmaker had been quietly installing six of these 90 kilowatt solar-powered EV fast-charging stations around California.
The stations are placed strategically along highways such that Tesla Model S drivers in major coastal cities could stop for a recharge on their way to, say, Las Vegas or Lake Tahoe. They are also located along the coast so that one could drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
The chargers are linked to arrays of solar panels made by SolarCity, a California solar power provider of which Musk is an investor and chairman
.
Equipped with an 85 kWh battery pack, in 30 minutes they can give the Model S enough power to drive 150 miles. Plus, they're free to use. This is a boon … for Model S drivers.
No other EV drivers will benefit, however, since Tesla uses a non-standard charging platform
.
Cleaner electrons
Still, the SuperChargers are an important EV industry development in that they address environmental concerns around the source of the energy used to power EVs.
To be clear: the SuperChargers do not convert solar radiation directly into battery power. Each charger is connected to the electricity grid and a battery pack, which stores the energy that the panels generate during daylight hours. That power is then either pulled into a vehicle or directed toward the electric grid, where it becomes part of the local energy mix.
A number of businesses, such as Google and Dell, use solar-powered EV chargers on corporate campuses to power employee fleets and there have been some solar charger rollouts among car dealerships.
But solar-powered chargers could also be used in a number of scenarios benefiting consumers, businesses, as well as utility providers.
One of solar power's most appealing characteristics is that it opens the door to establishing EV chargers in remote locations, where connecting a charger to the local power grid would be either impossible or prohibitively expensive.
DBT, a French manufacturer of electrical equipment including EV chargers, has established an off-grid, solar-powered charger in Jordan.
"Jordan is a good fit because there is a lot of sun and some tourist destinations that are off the grid. It's pretty rugged there, as well, so if it works in Jordan it can work anywhere", says Jake Edie, the vice president of DBT USA, the company's US subsidiary.
DBT USA recently acquired its first Underwriter's Laboratory certification for a level 2 charger which it plans to begin selling into the US market soon. However, Edie says the company has its eyes on a couple different business models for bringing solar-powered chargers to the U.S.
Establishing this electrical service can cost up to $100,000, he says. "Level 3 is much more expensive [than level 2], because you need contractors with more training and certifications to do that work".
Installing a solar-powered EV charger with a battery pack could enable a fast-charging (level 3) station without having to wire the site with a 480-volt electrical hookup. The battery pack linked to solar panels would store an extra boost of power to supplement the charge. For drivers looking to go from a 30 percent charge to 70 percent, for example, such a charger set-up could give a 30-minute fast charge to approximately three vehicles before the battery would be depleted. Once this occurs, the charging station would provide a level 2 charge (until the solar panels recharge the batteries).
Another compelling case for supplementing a charging station with solar power, he says, is to use it as a tool for reducing energy costs for the entity – a business, say, or a public building or school – that pays for a level 2 charger's electric bill.
During times of high demand, many utilities increase electrical rates. Relying on a battery to provide extra power during these times would smooth out that financial hit. A solar panel to power the charger's battery is not necessary in this scenario, Edie notes, but doing so would add more clean, renewable energy to the local energy supply. Plus, if enough solar-and-battery based charging stations were installed throughout a municipality, he says, energy regulators could use the batteries as a tool for frequency regulation.
If demands for power spike, additional load could be pulled from the batteries. If power demand falls and regulators need to balance the load on the grid, excess power could be absorbed by the batteries.
Sunny times for solar
A number of solar installation companies are now selling solar-based EV chargers for home installation, or in some cases are partnering with EVSE companies to provide a combined solution to the residential market.
Last year, SunPower and Ford Motor Company announced a partnership through which consumers who purchase the new electric Ford Focus can receive a 2.5 kilowatt rooftop solar system for around $10,000.
The system would accommodate a customer who drives around 1,000 miles per month. That is a pretty penny to pay for emissions-free fueling at home, but the solar system should generate around 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
It would also enable consumers to offset a good chunk of their home energy bills, depending on how energy efficient their homes are and how much power they generally draw from the grid.
SolarCity, which is providing the solar technology for Tesla's SuperChargers, says it has already installed around 500 solar-powered EV charging stations, and "thousands more" through it SolSource, another solar firm it acquired.
A SolarCity spokesperson told EV Update that it partners with a number of EVSE companies, including ClipperCreek, Coulomb, Schneider, on these chargers.
Michigan-based ViSole Energy has found a niche as a supplier of solar-powered EV charging canopies. Through a partnership with General Motors, the company offers the canopies to GM dealerships and other GM facilities. The panels help power the Chevy Volts in stock at the dealership, but they also offset the grid power consumption at adjacent GM buildings.
