PRESS RELEASE
Athens, February 7, 2024
"Green" energy autonomy in large transport infrastructures from GEK TERNA
A realistic, competitive and immediately applicable solution to the growing energy needs of airports, ports, highways, as well as other large consumers, for access to clean energy, comes to provide an innovative approach developed by the GEK TERNA Group in exclusive collaboration with the Greek company EasyPower S.A. , which owns the corresponding technology.
In particular, in recent years large cables especially in the transport sectors, such as ports, airports and highways, are looking for a way to get all their energy needs with green energy, since in addition to being an environmentally friendly and cheap product, the energy from renewable . The Sources are not burdened by a series of fees. Furthermore, the increasing demand for transportation electrification creates a greater need for electricity that the power grids find it difficult to meet immediately.
A typical example is the highways, where, based on the EU regulatory framework, it is estimated that in Greece in the coming years, new substations of at least 10 MW of new electricity per 60 km of road will be required, in order to meet the requirements of electric cars.
The GEK TERNA Group, utilizing the specialized knowledge it has as the largest producer of clean energy in Greece but also the largest investor in concession projects with more than 1,600. of managed highways, comes to bridge the gap that has been created between the increasingly compelling demand on the part of large consumers for access to green energy and the extremely demanding management it causes on electricity networks, through a pioneering energy architecture and a specially designed utilization Renewable Sources with Energy Storage (using batteries).
Although the idea of local production and storage of green energy to meet the needs of a transportation infrastructure does not seem unheard of, the certified successful implementation of it is a significant first. It is a project whose concept, architecture and innovative technology form a new framework for the design, construction and operation of "Green" fast charging stations for electric vehicles, which fully covers the weaknesses faced not only by the Greek but also by the European electrical networks . for electric charging.
MSS Malakasas (Seirios): The first and largest hybrid charging station for electric cars with photovoltaics in Greece
The Sirius Motorist Service Station (SEA) in Malakasa, operated by Nea Odos, is the first solar hybrid fast charging station for Greek motorists that operates by directly connecting the fast chargers to the direct current produced by the solar panels, in high voltage lithium ion batteries.
This project includes:
- Construction of canopies for car parking lots
- Placement of PV on them, with a total power of approximately 500 kWp
- 2 high-power DC chargers in each branch, i.e. a total of 4 chargers with a power of 120 kW each
- Hybrid Inverters. The PV goes to the charger when there is a car charging during the day and at the same time the energy is not consumed by vehicle charging, it is used directly to meet the energy needs of the Malakasa Motorist Service Station (Seirios) building.
The most important features of the innovative station include the use of special hybrid converters, capable of providing electricity with or without the grid network. Also, advanced fast chargers can be powered directly with a constant voltage from solar panels or batteries, or from both at the same time avoiding losses of more than 12%, while a special Energy Management System is applied that simultaneously serves the needs of fast chargers and self-consumption. of the station avoiding the injection of energy to the grid's network.
Presenting the project, Mr. Manos Moustakas, Executive Member of the Board of Directors. and General Manager of Business Development of GEK TERNA, stated:
"We are very pleased that this ambitious project is becoming a realistic application for transport infrastructure. It is clear that the prospects and possibilities of commercial application of this approach in the transport industry are truly endless. Operating almost like a hybrid car, the "intelligent" system reads the needs of the charging station and SEA infrastructure, the energy produced, the energy stored and the state of the grid, and accordingly prioritizes the sources of energy extraction, ensuring no only the optimal energy operation in the SEA, but also making sure that there is no effect on the electricity network itself. So, if, for example, the Motorist Service Station requires extra energy, it relies on the one it has already stored, without causing a sudden escalation in the central electricity grid. Also, the peak needs of charging electric cars are met as a priority by the production of solar energy, and in fact in direct connection with the PV panels, avoiding rectification losses in alternating current and achieving a capacity of 25,000 charges per year exclusively from the sun" .