In an office building belonging to Gewobag in Berlin, Vattenfall uses an intelligent control system to ensure that charging mainly take places at times when plenty of renewable energy is available and electricity exchange prices are low. The effects of this control system on user behaviour and the savings that can be achieved are being investigated as part of a pilot project with netgo GmbH, which has rented 20 parking spaces with charging stations in the building.
For this purpose, Vattenfall has set up an interface to the EEX electricity exchange and developed an algorithm that reduces the charging speed during particularly expensive hours. The electricity price is particularly reasonable when a lot of renewable energy is being fed into the grid. This is precisely where the Smart Charging system comes in: it ensures that vehicles are charged by preference when the proportion of green electricity is particularly high and the price is therefore as low as possible.
“Office properties are ideal for such applications, as vehicles are often parked at charging stations at lunchtime, when solar power generation peaks. At the same time, batteries are normally fully charged by the end of the working day,” explains Franziska Schuth-Krohn, Head of Business Development E-Mobility Germany.
“In Vattenfall we found the right partner, and together and together we’re making an important contribution to greater climate protection with this project,” emphasises Peter Burgfried, authorised officer and Head of Commercial Portfolio Management at Gewobag.
Technologies such as smart charging can reduce not only the cost of procuring electricity, but also the carbon footprint. A study by the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure shows that price-optimised charging can halve operational emissions in CO2 equivalents (see link below).
In this way, the technology actively contributes to the energy transition as it not only optimises the use of renewable energies, but also supports grid stability by reducing peak loads in the electricity grid. “At the same time, electricity costs for users are reduced. This type of optimisation demonstrates how technological innovation and ecological responsibility can go hand in hand to effectively support climate goals,” explains Schuth-Krohn.