Innovation

Spotlight on a new innovation from Cegelec La Rochelle (West of France)

Business Unit Manager Stéphane Moreau set out from a simple fact: by 2023, a large proportion of VINCI’s vehicle fleet will be hybrid or electric. With a business unit specialising in photovoltaics, an idea emerged: to use the sun as an energy source for recharging electric vehicles.

This was a major challenge: to make a photovoltaic canopy communicate with a smart charging station, not to mention developing an application for managing them both remotely. Above all, it was essential that the solution did not drastically increase the building’s energy demands (>Tarif Bleu regulated tariff). These considerations eventually gave rise to the VINCI Energies Smart PV Charger.

So, what is it?

The VINCI Energies Smart PV Charger solution will be trialled in the parking area at Cegelec La Rochelle in the second half of 2021.

It will feature a two-space photovoltaic sun canopy (15 modules) linked to a French-made electric vehicle charging station. Via a mobile application, it will be possible to instantly check solar production and your hybrid/electric vehicle’s level of charge. Several options are available to users:

♦ “Green” charge – vehicle charging using solar energy only

♦ “Boosted” charge – vehicle charging supplemented by mains electricity

♦ “Programmed” charge – vehicle charging tailored to the user’s schedule

As photovoltaic engineer Kevin Ducher explains, “Imagine that the user is at work all day – they can select a ‘green’ charge, which is slower but 100% solar powered. If they are in a hurry, they can connect to the mains for a quicker charge.”

What are the returns?

The cost of this installation is around €22.000, or €2.200 per year (excluding foundations and bearing structure).

For an equivalent price, this solution ensures that we honour our environmental commitments, with fuel savings as an added bonus.

What are the next steps?

The solution will have to prove its worth within the business unit. As Stéphane Moreau explains, “Our ultimate aim is to be able to market this to other VINCI Energies business units in France. We also hope to create a connection to Outlook so the charge can be tailored automatically to the user’s schedule without the need for intervention.”