It’s becoming apparent that EV charging should be considered as part of an “ecosystem” that also includes renewable energy generation and stationary storage.  France’s Eco2charge consortium, coordinated by Bouygues Energie, has launched an R&D program to study the deployment of solutions of this kind, especially for commercial buildings.

Eco2charge notes that an average EV consumes about 3.7 kW for 4 hours of charging, so simultaneous charging of 100 EVs would roughly double the power consumption of a typical commercial building (670 kW vs 300 kW for a building with 600-1,000 occupants), generating a heavy impact on the grid.

The goal of Eco2charge is to minimize infrastructure costs and electricity usage through the use of a solution that includes local storage; the modular deployment of smart charging infrastructure; and intelligent energy management for smoothing power consumption.

SEE ALSO: Renault-Nissan expands cooperation with Mitsubishi, may develop EV

Intelligent charging terminals will be connected to a central control system that will optimize energy usage, in conjunction with the consumption of buildings and local renewable energy production. Intelligent distribution of power will regulate use to avoid consumption peaks and oversizing of a site’s electrical infrastructure. Local energy storage systems will reuse EV batteries.

A demonstration project will be implemented at two sites, with the goal of developing and marketing a full solution within the next three years.

Source: Eco2charge, Renault via Green Car Congress
Image courtesy of Renault