rewrite this title Electric Vehicles in Utrecht, Netherlands, Are Powering the Grid

In Utrecht, parked rental electric vehicles are feeding energy back into the grid, contributing to the efficient use of solar power.

The city of Utrecht in the Netherlands aims to increase the proportion of renewable energy in its grid by utilizing parked and charging electric rental vehicles. This initiative will also support many households waiting in line to install solar panels on their roofs.

The Challenge of Renewable Energy

Globally, the transition to renewable energy is accelerating. However, intermittent sources like solar and wind make it challenging to maintain a stable electricity grid. This situation even puts some incentives supporting individual solar energy production at risk of being removed.

Systems that allow excess production fed into the grid to be drawn back when needed are becoming unsustainable within this complex structure, as electricity storage is still quite expensive, and energy must be consumed the moment it’s produced. Therefore, short and medium-term energy storage solutions must be readily available to ensure grid stability. However, establishing and operating these solutions incur significant costs.

Utrecht has become one of Europe’s leading cities in renewable energy use, having equipped 35% of its rooftops with solar panels. Yet, this puts an excessive load on the grid, especially on sunny days. As a creative solution to this problem, the city’s shared electric vehicle fleet of 500 cars will actively participate in grid balancing.

These shared vehicles are typically unused during the day and remain parked. During this time, they will be charged with excess solar energy during the day via bi-directional charging stations and will feed this energy back into the grid at night.

Who’s Involved?

Many stakeholders are participating in this project:

Renault: Initially provided 50 units of the Renault 5 E-Tech model with bi-directional charging support. This number will increase to 500 in the future with other models like the Renault 4, Mégane E-Tech, and Scénic E-Tech.Mobilize: A Renault subsidiary that provides the bi-directional charging technology.We Drive Solar: The company that installs and provides the advanced charging infrastructure.MyWheels: The platform managing the car-sharing service.Utrecht Municipality: The local government providing the necessary parking spaces and urban infrastructure.

Through this collaboration, the inverter system on the vehicles can transfer 11 kW of electricity per hour to the grid. This benefits both the manufacturing companies, the car-sharing network, and the city administration.

Of course, establishing such a system requires many willing companies. For instance, 50 Renault 5 E-Tech vehicles, featuring Mobilize’s bi-directional charging technology, were procured. Over time, this number will increase to 500 vehicles with additions like the Renault 4, Mégane E-Tech, and Scénic E-Tech. The joint effort with We Drive Solar, which supplies the bi-directional charging equipment, the Utrecht Municipality, which provides parking spaces, and the MyWheels car-sharing service network brought this project to fruition.

Ultimately, all companies are satisfied. Renault, which produces vehicles capable of transferring 11 kW of electricity to the grid via their inverters, is gaining preference. We Drive Solar, a manufacturer of such specialized charging equipment, is gaining market share. MyWheels benefits by paying less for charging due to grid balancing. And the city of Utrecht benefits by transitioning more easily to cheaper renewable energy.

One way or another, another excellent application for electric vehicles, which will inevitably become a part of our lives, is being implemented.

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