The founder and CEO of Off Grid Energy has stressed the importance of battery storage and smart charging systems as the take up of electric vehicles (EVs) increases.
According to Danny Jones, the power demand from charging electric vehicles is too great for the already buckling London power grid.
Earlier this year, UPS – in conjunction with UK Power Networks Services – installed Off Grid’s UBESS system which had the task of reinforcing the local grid using battery storage to allow the powering up of the company’s fleet of EV delivery vehicles from the current limit of 65 to all 170 vehicles at its Camden depot.
Jones said: “The primary issue with the Camden installation was that the incoming grid supply was insufficient to support the additional power demands of the new fleet of EVs. The cost of re-enforcing the grid at the substation jeopardised the business case for full electrification of the fleet.”
Jones says that Issues such as these are not exclusive to UPS – EV applications are demanding more power and they need it now. Logistics operations and bus companies are looking to electrify their fleets to help in the fight against air pollution and climate change but are often held back by a lack of grid capacity.
“At Off Grid, we have the ability to install and have energy storage solutions up and running in a matter of weeks and bring the benefits of battery storage to the fore,” added Jones. “The benefits of deploying these systems are manifold and are absolutely necessary to prevent a delay in EV deployment because of the cost and lead-in times to reinforce the electricity network at substations, not to mention they can start working right away with minimal installation time needed.”
The UBESS battery storage solution from Off Grid can perform other capabilities over and above the primary function of enabling the introduction and maintenance of the EVs. For example, when the depot does not need the power, the unit has the ability to provide energy back to the grid for DSR (demand side response) which is a monetizable service for the electricity network operator.
“Battery storage and smart charging systems like UPS Camden are already being adopted in other industries such as bus companies, materials handling corporations, multiple occupancy buildings as well as the car rental sector. Rapidly deployable smart-charging and storage systems are an absolute necessity for cities to reap the benefits of EVs,” concluded Jones.
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