Renault and several partners plan to develop a Franco-Dutch network of smart solar EV charging stations, in connection with a car-sharing service and vehicle-to-grid capability.

The city of Utrecht will be the testing ground for the Smart Solar Charging Project. In phase one of the project, Renault will supply a fleet of 150 Zoe EVs for a local car-sharing service. 1,000 charging stations will be powered by 10,000 photovoltaic panels in the region.

LomboXnet will install the network of public charging terminals, ElaadNL will manage the infrastructure and the smart charging standard, and grid operator Stedin will be involved to balance electrical supply and demand.

In phase two of the project, the partners plan to develop a vehicle-to-grid system, in which the network of chargers will be capable of both charging the EVs and feeding energy stored in the batteries of parked cars onto the grid to meet demand peaks.

Source: Renault via Green Car Congress