Vattenfall has developed software for electric vehicle charging stations that controls the charging speed according to the supply of renewable electricity.
The software, which has been deployed at about 80 public charging stations owned by a number of Dutch municipalities, is designed to react to how much energy from wind or solar power is being supplied.
“In the coming years, still more of the electricity in the electricity grid will come from sun and wind, but the challenge is that the supply of these two energy sources fluctuates with the actual weather conditions,” said Vattenfall.
With the Green Charging system, the amount of electricity available determines how fast vehicles are charged, it said.
The Vattenfall software basically links the charging stations to the so-called imbalance market, where the amount of electricity generated and consumed is precisely monitored.
Every 15 minutes the charging software checks how much electricity is available and adjusts the capacity of the charging stations accordingly.
This way drivers of electric vehicles help to accommodate the fluctuations in electricity supply allowing a higher proportion of renewable energy in the system, the company said.
Vattenfall e-mobility head Tomas Bjornsson (pictured) said: “Sustainable charging is vital for sustainable driving of electric vehicles.
“And systems, like the one we are introducing now, are a crucial development for the energy transition and for achieving our and society’s goals for air quality and the climate”.
“Through this pilot, we want to showcase that by combining our InCharge charging services and our trading services, we can facilitate a better utilisation of the grid, just as drivers of electric vehicles can potentially look forward to lower tariffs in the longer term.”
Vattenfall head of BU customers in business area markets Erik Suichies said: “For the car driver, this flexible charging capacity is good, as the charging is done when prices are low. And flexibility is becoming still more important in order to keep a stable grid.
“Flexible charging based on price predictions of the imbalance market will help stabilise the grid and by utilising the grid better and avoiding peak loads, the charging system creates room to add more of the fluctuating renewable energy sources to the grid.
“Over the coming years the Dutch market is expected to grow to two million electric cars and this pilot is yet another step towards accommodating so many cars in the system and allowing fossil-free living within one generation.”
Municipalities participating in the Green Charging pilot project are Aalsmeer, Alkmaar, Amstelveen, Bergen NH, Edam-Volendam, Heemskerk, Huizen, Nieuwegein, Oostzaan, Ouder-Amstel and Zaanstad.
Green Charging is one of three pilots Vattenfall is running in the Netherlands and Germany.