More and more people are rethinking how they get around, opting for electric vehicles as climate change escalates and the threat of a ban on diesel vehicles draws closer. However, simply switching to e-cars is not enough. To ensure a consistent approach to the energy revolution, green power must be used to charge such vehicles too. Using renewables is not without its challenges, but VARTA Storage large-scale storage systems can help overcome them.
The most obvious issue is the lack of continuity in the energy supply. Most green energy sources are weather-dependent; as a result, there is not always enough energy available. Private households and companies rely primarily on solar systems to satisfy their own electricity needs. But when the sunshine disappears in the evening and overnight, they have to buy power from the grid in order to charge their electric cars. This is not only expensive, but also harms the environment. And that is where VARTA energy storage systems come in. The energy surplus that is generated while the sun is shining can be stored to be used later, when it is needed. Single-occupancy households can get by with a home storage unit such as the VARTA pulse. However, when several e-cars have to be charged at the same time, in company car pools or apartment blocks, for example, a more powerful model is required. VARTA flex storage is particularly suitable in such situations, thanks to its flexible range of configuration options. The usable storage capacity ranges from 26 kWh up to 1 MWh, the nominal system performance between 20 and 600 kW. So you can choose an energy storage system that is adapted to your specific energy requirements. With the right choice of system capacity and performance, your self-generated energy can be used as efficiently as possible. This means that you use more of the power you generate, becoming more self-sufficient and slashing your electricity bill in the process.
Another challenge of e-mobility is maintaining grid stability. In the future, installations of multiple charging stations will not be the preserve of businesses. Apartment blocks and duplexes will also require more and more charging stations to offer tenants the option of recharging their e-cars. Charging several e-cars quickly and simultaneously requires a lot of power to be delivered in a short period of time. This rapidly pushes the grid to its limits, and may result in power outages if the correct measures are not taken. VARTA flex storage allows these peak power requirements to be buffered, rather than having to invest heavily in grid expansion. Once the energy storage is loaded, the charging stations can be supplied with electricity with little or no need for power to be taken from the main network. Expensive grid upgrades can thus be avoided as the burden on the grid is eliminated.
The local church social welfare institution in Nördlingen-Herkheim proves that VARTA flex storage is a practical solution. Its community care service now operates six electric vehicles. While the cars can be topped up with energy generated by the institution’s PV installation during the day, their nightly full charge that ensures they are ready to run the next day previously required power to be taken from the grid. It soon became obvious that an energy storage system was also needed. The VARTA flex storage E solution provides sufficient green electricity to power the institution’s e-cars over an additional 55,000 km each year. This more than triples the distance that could be achieved using the solar panels on their own. And in addition to the energy costs saved, the institution’s carbon footprint has been cut by 266 tonnes of CO2.
If you are interested in VARTA’s large-scale storage systems and need more information, please visit our website or contact our sales team (+49 9081 24086 45 or css@varta-storage.com)
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