Stourton Park & Ride Center in Leeds has 1.2MWp of solar car ports, a battery storage system and 26 electric vehicle charging stations. The energy for charging is generated on site.
Leeds City Council wants an innovative renewable energy scheme to improve the local EV charging network and ensure better connectivity while reducing the city’s carbon emissions. It is implemented with 1.2 MWp solar carports, an intelligent charging infrastructure, battery storage and a charging park for electric vehicles. The result is the country’s first fully solar-powered park and ride platform.
This project is an example of how future-proof EV charging points can replace site restrictions to solve a problem with a 400kW site connection. A highly specialized, tailor-made solution has been found.
solution
The project consists of multiple Y-shaped solar carports arranged in curved rows to match the circular layout of the site. Evo Energy’s technical design team found a good solution.
Y-shaped solar carports with trapezoidal steel roofs provide additional stability and have an integrated gutter system that allows access to the roof for maintenance of the modules. Carports are installed in concentric semi-circles with an east-west orientation to separate generation curves and maximize opportunities for on-site consumption.
In addition, a 500kW/950kWh Tesla battery is integrated into the main building, reducing consumption peaks caused by on-site solar PV consumption and simultaneous EV charging.
The facility has 1.2 MWp of solar power generation capacity and smart EV charging infrastructure to support the EV transition.
Behind each pair of modules is a Solaredge optimizer. The inverters are centrally located in the final building and use a “safe DC supply” at 850V. Cables are run in smaller cables to minimize material waste. This means no inverters around carport structures, resulting in a cleaner surface for drivers and a more efficient power supply.
High-efficiency Sunpower Maxeon 400Wp modules were used to reduce the kWp cost of solar carports, maximizing rooftop productivity due to customization, the modules deliver more kWh/year from the first year and degrade more slowly than others. Blocks mean more will be created over the life of the system.
Results
The city of Leeds now has a modern renewable energy system with potential for future expansion. The PV system is estimated to produce 852,000 kWh/year of which only 12% is estimated to be exported due to battery and solar interaction. In total, solar PV will offset 471 tonnes of carbon in the first year, equivalent to taking 203 cars off the road.
Due to the integrated solar and battery system providing electricity at a low cost (compared to the cost-promoting energy of the grid), the payback time of the charging stations is estimated to be less than 10 years, with an average of two charges per day in year 1, which will increase the estimated annual consumption by about 8% (future based on energy scenario data). In addition, the battery life is extended to 15 years and more due to the low energy efficiency of the battery.
Due to import site restrictions, the battery load currently replaces solar PV and the grid feed to the site goes to zero most of the time. And battery displays are designed for the future, e.g. B. Peak load balancing, network services, energy conversion to time of use depending on future network conditions. All of this is possible with Tesla’s highly flexible Site Master Controller.
Distribution columns and power distribution for electric vehicles are built with 25% redundancy so that additional charging points for electric vehicles can be retrofitted as needed in the future.
The EV charging point system will be capped to connect more EV charging points without exceeding the 400 kW peak input capacity limit. The cap will affect 7kW chargers first and then 50kW chargers, preventing customers who have paid a premium for increased charging power from being unfairly penalised.
BESS, interactive monitoring of solar PV and EV charging, is integrated into the final building so that the public can see the historical and real-time impact of the systems on the facility.
Up to 1200 cars a day will be taken off the streets of Leeds, with the help of a new Park and Ride electric bus service that will operate directly from the site. It is the first in a network of electric and solar powered park and ride locations.
By providing the site with a reliable source of renewable energy and high-quality electric vehicle charging, the £38.5m project is a key part of Leeds City Council’s strategy to become zero carbon by 2030, and will improve Leeds’ air quality to improve residents and visitors.
The system will reduce carbon emissions over many years, helping the region achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and supporting the UK’s road users’ transition to cleaner energy.
“The impressive development of Stourton Park and Ride creates clear benefits of switching to public transport to reduce the impact of transport on the environment. Solar panels and an innovative battery storage system, funded by European Regional Development Funds, will power the entire Park & Ride site, which will be served by electric buses.” – Cllr Lisa Mulherin, Board Member, Leeds City Council
Evidence
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