Flinders University in South Australia has unveiled an array of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging bays as part of a landmark electric vehicle charging hub.
The initiative is a collaboration between French energy company ENGIE and Flinders University with funding from the South Australian government.
The station will feature 10 directional chargers, 15 AC chargers for use by Flinders staff and students, and another four charging DC fast chargers that will be open to the public.
These chargers can both supply and draw electricity from the campus grid, forming a virtual power plant (VPP) for the university’s benefit. This project demonstrates the potential of EVs to aid South Australia’s electricity system during peak demand.
“More and more electric vehicles will be hitting our roads in years to come as we travel towards net zero emissions,” said state energy minister Tom Koutsantonis.
“With trials like this investigating the possibilities for broad use of this technology we can be confident we are on the right track,” Mr. Koutsantonis added.
The university’s existing renewable energy network is complemented by the V2G bays, which feed clean energy from compatible EVs back into the campus grid as part of ENGIE’s trial VPP.
As part of our mission to be climate positive and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions we’re investing in a growing fleet of electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to support them – including bidirectional smart chargers which will enable our EVs to store electricity at our Bedford Park campus for use during periods of peak demand,” said Flinders University Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling.
The project is part of the $3.3 million Smart Charging Trials currently being conducted by the SA government. Data from the trials will frame and inform the future direction of EVs in South Australia as we strive for net zero emissions by 2050.
Did you find this article interesting? Give it a ‘like’ by clicking the ‘heart’ button above!
