The environmental benefits of an intelligent approach to EV charging infrastructure
Helen Fox-Walker , Head of Energy Product for Mer UK, looks at the impact that the EV charging infrastructure can have on the grid, the energy transition and the integration of renewable technologies
The transition away from petrol and diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric vehicles (EV) has been largely driven by the need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions that have created chaos for the world’s climate. Perhaps less well known is the additional impact that the EV charging infrastructure has on the environment, especially as renewable sources of energy generation are integrated into the energy grid. After all, the transition to EV would have a limited impact if we simply replaced petrol and diesel with electricity produced by burning gas and oil.
As consumers, EV drivers have already made a conscious decision to drive more environmentally friendly vehicles. Many chose to extend their commitment to charge their vehicles with electricity that is generated from renewable sources, rather than fossil fuels. With a larger, and growing, proportion of renewable energy in the grid, there is an element of renewable energy going into most cars at any one time. By an app like the National Grid ESO App, a driver can choose to recharge at times when carbon intensity is low and electricity generation is cleanest. Other apps are available, of course.
Europe’s largest renewable energy generator
Taking this a step further, EV drivers can opt to use a Charge Point Operator (CPO) that has a commitment to using renewable energy in its charge points, like Mer. Mer is backed by Statkraft, Europe’s largest renewable energy generator. Statkraft has been generating renewable energy for more than a century, primarily through the abundant resource of Norwegian hydropower. Over the last twenty years, Statkraft has expanded into more than 20 countries, including the UK, with projects that includes onshore and offshore wind, solar, battery storage and grid stability schemes where there is a good fit.
A great example of Statkraft’s focus on appropriate renewable projects is the Loch na Cathrach Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme in Scotland. Acquired by Statkraft in December 2023, this impressive 450MW hydro scheme was first conceived in 2015 and granted consent by Scottish Government ministers in June 2021. The development is located on a site around 14km south-west of Inverness and will harness the waters of Loch Ness. Alongside helping to deploy more renewable power and reduce carbon emissions, the scheme will capture excess energy, and store it until needed.
Storage for stability
One of the biggest challenges that the electricity industry has to handle is that of intermittency. Unlike fossil fuels, wind, solar and hydro sources are supply driven rather than demand. So, they cannot simply be switched up and down as demand rises or falls. Schemes like Loch na Cathrach that can store excess energy from renewables are going to play an increasingly important role in the new GB energy landscape.
Through the strong backing of Statkraft, Mer can supply 100% renewable electricity to its charge points. This means that EV drivers can confidently charge their vehicles in the greenest possible way. This is an area that people often question. After all, if the energy comes from the transmission grid, and the grid is still majorly powered by carbon intense gas turbines, how can you be sure that the energy you are using to charge your vehicle is 100% renewable? The electricity that goes through every plug in the UK in our houses, in a business and in every recharge point, is a mix of different types of generation. Some of it is gas, some is renewable.
100% renewable EV charging
The mix of energy sources in the grid varies on an hourly basis in GB, driven by the various energy markets. What a driver can do, is use a CPO that offsets the amount of energy output going into the EV with the equivalent energy input from renewable sources. The process is backed by the Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme that certifies that electricity has been generated from renewable sources. Administered by Ofgem in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, this provides transparency to consumers about the proportion of electricity supplied from renewable sources. REGO certificates mean that a driver who chooses to recharge their vehicle from a Mer charge point is confident that any fossil fuel sourced energy is 100% offset by renewables generated by Statkraft.
The transition towards renewable energy sources has reinforced how important it is to store energy. Given the intermittent nature of wind and solar, sometimes enough electricity isn’t being produced, and sometimes there’s too much. This introduces instability into the electricity system and has been the subject of much innovation and investment in ways to fix this. We have been used to the stability of energy supply to always meet demand thanks to our oil and gas use. That challenge becomes even more important when you look at the additional draw on our electricity usage for EV charging and the electrification of industry. Again, Mer’s connection with Statkraft is part of the solution.
Greener Grid Parks
Around the UK, Statkraft is installing Greener Grid Parks. These are collections of small buildings, usually located near substations, that contain innovative technology designed to increase the amount of renewable energy transmitted through the national grid.
Earlier this year Statkraft’s new Greener Grid Park at the 275kV substation in Lister Drive, Liverpool, was connected to the electricity transmission network to boost system stability. The recently energised connection means the specialised synchronous compensators and flywheels at Statkraft’s site are now operational and supplying stability services to help National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) manage system frequency.
EVs as a stabilising force
EVs themselves can be part of the stability solution. They can be used as potential energy storage solutions to support the grid. Fleet EVs in particular can collectively provide storage and release electricity back into the grid as required, acting as virtual power plants. Depending on how the business sets up an internal system, the power could be fed it back into the grid to balance the system, or it could be directed internally to the business’s operational energy use. As Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology becomes more prevalent, we will see this become more commonplace on both commercial and industrial, and residential scales.
There are many ways in which the electric vehicle charging infrastructure can be developed to further the advance of renewable energy, not just in the UK but around the world. Mer is definitely leading the charge. The fact that Mer is owned by Statkraft, the largest renewable generator in Europe, means that all of the power that goes through Mer’s charge points can be proven to be 100% renewable generation from hydro, wind, solar. In this way, we are helping EV drivers combat carbon emissions, stabilise the grid and ultimately stabilise the climate.