Australia’s first EV and battery to the grid project showcases global curtailment solution
August 15, 2022
eleXsys Energy has unveiled the nation’s largest battery and EV charging installation in a showcase of grid connected renewable energy storage and a global first ‘boost’ capability for EV owners.
The new project will be installed at Pasadena Shopping Centre in Adelaide, South Australia, and feature a 1MW/1.25MWh battery energy storage system and 14 EV charging points, integrated with eleXsys technology and connected to the National Electricity Market.
The Electric Vehicle Energy Storage (EVES) system will purchase clean energy from the grid during peak solar hours and store the energy for both EV charging and profitable energy arbitrage, all at zero infrastructure cost to the landowner.
Delivered under a partnership between eleXsys Energy master licensee Planet Ark Power and the South Australian Government’s EV Smart Trial, the innovative EVES system will be highly scalable and suitable for a wide range of locations such as shopping centres, public spaces and commercial sites.
In an added bonus, EV owners will be able to use a ‘boost’ capability to charge their vehicles while they shop using one of 14 Rapid or Fast charging points providing a total of 476kW. Rapid points can fully charge a car in 15 to 45 minutes while Fast points take 2 to 4 hours, depending on the vehicle type.eleXsys Energy Executive Director Richard Romanowski said the new $3 million installation was believed to be Australia’s largest grid-connected battery and EV charging system and the first ‘boost charging’ project of its kind in the world.
“But the most unique aspect of this project is our award-winning eleXsys technology,” he said.
“It is only through the inclusion of eleXsys that installations like this become financially feasible because we can guarantee the supply of energy back to the grid without the usual curtailment issues caused by voltage problems.
“eleXsys is the secret ingredient in this trial that will accelerate investment in smart battery and charging solutions, and therefore speed up global decarbonisation.”
For the community, this new EVES system functions as a ‘solar sponge’, charging from the grid at peak solar production times and storing energy for 24/7 EV charging. It will help to lower energy prices, increase the amount of solar that can be installed and support grid balance and stability.
For business, it will prove the case for co-locating EV charging with a large battery to generate a healthy return on the infrastructure investment with the inclusion of eleXsys technology.
Property owners can earn rental income from disused or under-utilised spaces while providing valuable services to the community and demonstrating their commitment to a net zero future.
eleXsys is a renewable energy technology that combines a new electronic device with artificial intelligence software to send much more locally generated clean energy back to the main grid by solving voltage problems.
The technology can turn commercial and industrial sites into profitable solar and battery powered microgrids – urban clean energy power stations that maximise distributed energy resources, save billions of dollars in transmission network upgrades, and help to combat climate change.
Construction will commence on the Pasadena Shopping Centre ‘EV Hub’ in the next few months ahead of an expected opening in early 2023.
