http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-47654821

 

Smart Hubs demonstrator project will also use vehicle-to-grid technology to deliver electricity back to the grid.

(They are now looking for sites to take part in the trials later next year.)

So sometime, maybe, someplace near you, or not.

Great idea for the power companies; which in theory ought to benefit us too, either directly for local EV owners using the carparks or indirectly for grid users generally. 

Not sure how much I trust that theory in reality.  Greed will intervene to reduce the positives for Joe Public, almost inevitably.

The Scottish Government are spending many millions of public money on Green Transport and EV Charging Infrastructure, someone has to be getting the money.

Just as long as it is being well spent all should be good.

http://gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00181

 

OK, I'll bite.

 

Let's run the Xman BS calculator over this, using the information in the BBC report.

 

Up to 150 vehicles over 6 sites = 25 vehicles per site.

 

Assuming a daily requirement of a measly 40kWh per vehicle per day

 

Gives 25 x 40 = 1000kWh per day.

 

Let's assume great performing, clean, solar panels 18% efficiency, support infrastructure (inverters, chargers, temporary battery storage, cabling etc) an over generous 90%. 

 

Take Glasgow, with panels fixed at the optimum annual angle facing directly south, average daily solar irradiance varies from an average of 0.38kWh/m² in Dec to 5.12kWh/m² in June

 

So in June to generate/store/distribute/charge 1MWh per day on average would require

 

1000/5.12/0.18/0.9 = 1206m² of panels (0.3 football pitches)

 

In Dec it would require 1000/0.38/0.18/0.9=16244m² of panels (4.0 football pitches)

 

This assumes battery storage capacity of at least 1MWh as many cars will want charging at night. In practice more is required as Scottish weather is not too reliable day to day. Plus someone cleaning and maintaining the panels and infrastructure, e.g. one faulty or dirty panel can knock a string out. No factor for panel ageing applied.

 

Whether people are prepared to drive to these places, and wait for the battery to charge or catch a bus home is another matter.

 

Xman's BS calculator gives this project a solid unicorn BS rating of 3 and NSE rating (Nice subsidy earner) of 10. 

 

Works on a sunny day in June, but forget Christmas.

 

So this is a scheme to use Joe Public's battery for grid balancing, the solar bit is pure BS.

 

Just pray they don't use half your battery charge up for grid top up exactly when you need your car. Grid balancing great no doubt for reducing your battery life too.

Edited 26 March, 20197 yr by xman

I think you are missing the point.

'Allowing electric vehicles to be charged without placing further pressure on an already-constrained grid'.

 

So vehicles being trialed that are in some cases arriving to park already fully charged or partly charged in some instances, charged at Offpeak', then  plug in when parked at Park & Rides, Airports, Train Stations, Workplaces. The system knows how long the car / vehicle will be inactive until required.

The Solar power is to Fixed Storage Batteries that might be charged off peak, ie overnight from renewables, local & even 'Off Grid', 

Cars charged, or Vehicles including Post Van, Taxis, Bin Lorries, and discharging back to the grid.

The Solar Power might not be local to the car park but in the vicinity.

Like the big Solar Farm already near the river Tay and a few miles west of Dundee. 

More are in the planning.

Maybe similar will be in the hills near Edinburgh. 

 

 

 

 

Edited 26 March, 20197 yr by Skoffski

29 minutes ago, xman said:

Assuming a daily requirement of a measly 40kWh per vehicle per day

That's around 160 miles of driving. That's a lot of driving for one day.........

 

I think 20kWh is more realistic as high estimate. That's 80 miles, still much higher than what most people would drive per day. I drive 60 miles a day, that's already on the very high side. 10kWh is probably a good starting point as average daily needs for EV, 40 miles.

 

(which shows a 24kWh EV like first generation Leaf is more than enough for majority of the population, if everyone can charge overnight and willing to rent/own an ICE car for long trips)

6 minutes ago, wyx087 said:

That's around 160 miles of driving. That's a lot of driving for one day.........

 

I think 20kWh is more realistic as high estimate. That's 80 miles, still much higher than what most people would drive per day. I drive 60 miles a day, that's already on the very high side. 10kWh is probably a good starting point as average daily needs for EV, 40 miles.

 

(which shows a 24kWh EV like first generation Leaf is more than enough for majority of the population, if everyone can charge overnight and willing to rent/own an ICE car for long trips)

All of which presumes that the same vehicles park in these EV spaces every day.

The trial is to be using vehicles capable of feeding back electricity.  'Up to 150 V2G enabled vehicles at 6 sites'.

(Now if that are delivery vans for Amazon, there is lots of roof space on Amazon Distribution Centres, or Postal Delivery Centres.)

Getting ready for when there are many more cars / vehicles that will park in charging places.

 

Centre of Edinburgh, 

not much parking very near by Waverley Station, but the Train Station is to be developed, they are looking at that now.

These glass roofs could be Solar Panels and feeding electricity to Multi Story or Underground car parking.

Edited 26 March, 20197 yr by Skoffski

1 hour ago, Skoffski said:

Centre of Edinburgh, 

not much parking very near by Waverley Station, but the Train Station is to be developed, they are looking at that now.

These glass roofs could be Solar Panels and feeding electricity to Multi Story or Underground car parking.

 

Cover glass roofs with solar and illuminate the resulting dark station with fairy dust? Another SNP cunning plan....

Edited 26 March, 20197 yr by xman

Only if you are stupid and cover the glass roof, which is coming off anyway.

Solar panels do not need to be flat / horizontal.  Then does not need to cover, same as when they are on fields.  See Video.

16 hours ago, xman said:

 

Cover glass roofs with solar and illuminate the resulting dark station with fairy dust? Another SNP cunning plan....

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=see+through+solar+panel+glass&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinoYHn6qHhAhXITxUIHVH6DzMQ_AUIDygC&biw=1246&bih=954

umm it's already been done in a station I use weekly https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/22/worlds-largest-solar-powered-bridge-opens-in-london

 

Have the Climate Change Protesters managed to disrupt or close down services there yet?

47 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

Have the Climate Change Protesters managed to disrupt or close down services there yet?

Well, there was footage on the lunchtime news of some superglued to the roof of a bus, and reports of more superglued to a DLR train, and the cell towers in the area (plus the repeaters for the Tube) being turned off.