PV + EV: Charging cars with the sun
The municipality of Espoo, Finland, is looking to be completely ready for a large-scale roll-out of electric vehicles (EV). Amongst its various initiatives is a charging station powered by photovoltaic panels (PV).
Powering the world’s growing stock of vehicles is one of the critical challenges in making our energy systems more sustainable.
Electric Espoo
In cooperation with the energy company Fortum, a solar energy plant has been installed at Espoo’s Vehicle Service Unit, which is the first in Finland with the capacity to recharge electric cars. The rooftop panels are expected to generate enough electricity to meet the annual needs of 10-15 vehicles. This is just one example of the different measures taken by the city to encourage cleaner cars, and could have implications for electric vehicle charging in isolated parts of the country disconnected from the grid.
Espoo has pledged to be completely ready with infrastructure when the first major car companies start their large scale production of electric vehicles. With a number of multinational technology firms and world class universities in the area, combined with a forward-looking local government and an environmentally aware population, Espoo is well positioned to take a lead in electric transportation.
Another project, the Espoon Adjutantti housing cooperative, offers its residents a shared electric car. The cooperative also produces its own energy from solar panels installed on the roofs. The energy is used to light stairways and charge the shared car.
The Eco Urban Living Project
The latest push for electric cars in Espoo is the Eco Urban Living Project. The project builds upon a strategic partnership including the municipality, Nokia, Fortum, VTT, Aalto University and the car production company Valmet automotive – producer of the ThinkCity and Karma-Fisker Hybrid.
One feature of the project is the demonstration initiative for electric cars in Otaniemi – Keilaniemi – Tapiola, the so called T3-area of Espoo. The T3-area will undergo a radical change due to the building of a new metro line and the tunnelling of the ring highway between Otaniemi and Tapiola. The area offers a great opportunity for testing sustainable city planning innovations, continuing the tradition of the famous Garden City concept developed in Tapiola in the 1950s.
For more information about Espoo’s preparations for the electric vehicle rollout, visit their website.
