MAPNA Group has designed and produced its first solar energy-based EV charging station in keeping with the efforts to promote green means of transportation.
The station has been developed by MAPNA’s Electric & Control Engineering & Manufacturing Company (MECO), with the theme “The Earth is Breathing”.
The solar-powered station has a capacity of about 4 kW and is connected to an EV charger with a 3.7 kW discharge capability.
With the rise in the demand for electric vehicles, the need for a reliable charging infrastructure increases to accommodate the rapid public adoption of this means of transportation.
For the first time in Iran, the station can assist in achieving V2G and V2H technologies, meaning that it can either store the extra electricity or feed it into the household or national grid.
The terms V2G and V2H stand for “vehicle to grid” and “vehicle to home” respectively. These technologies enable energy to be pushed back to the power grid from the battery of an electric car. Drivers, for example, can utilize solar energy to charge their automobiles while at work, then return home at the end of the day and feed the excess power back into their household grid.
In recent years, MAPNA Group has prioritized the development of EV infrastructure following a government policy to shift from fossil fuels to green energies, and in line with the global trend toward curbing pollution.
Several electric vehicle prototypes, electrification subsystems, and various charging infrastructures have been introduced thus far by MAPNA. The Group has also begun building charging stations in several provinces, and has just unveiled its first all-electric bus.
MAPNA Group is now seeking to transfer the renewable energy generated on wind and solar farms to the slow and fast charging stations in cities.
The following are some of the initiatives taken by the MAPNA Group to provide much-needed energy from clean sources:
- Kahak 1 Wind Farm (5 MW); location: Qazvin province; implementation date: February 11, 2014
- Kahak 2 Wind Farm (20 MW); location: Qazvin province; implementation date: February 11, 2016
- Kahak 3 Wind Farm (30 MW); location: Qazvin province; implementation date: October 22, 2016
- Kahak Solar Power Plant (2 MW); location: Qazvin province; Implementation date: November 14, 2018
- Aqkand Wind Farm (50 MW); location: East Azarbaijan Province; implementation date: November 10, 2020
- Mil-e-Nader Wind Farm (50 MW); location: Sistan and Baluchestan Province; status: under construction
- Bahreman Solar Power Plant (10 MW); Location: Kerman Province; status: under construction
Unlike wind turbines whose generated power cannot be transmitted directly to electric vehicles, solar power plants are suitable sources of clean energy that may significantly help promotion of EV infrastructures. Solar panels can be installed on building roofs, bringing them closer to EV charging stations and reducing energy transfer waste. Moreover, rooftop solar panels generate electricity in the kilowatt range, which is the same as that produced by electric car chargers. Finally, unlike wind energy, solar energy is most abundant during the day, particularly during the summer, making it ideal to supply EVs with power.
The following websites or the EVIC mobile application can be used to access this EV station.