Community Ownership Of Charging
As with any community energy venture, EV charging points can provide real benefit to local areas by keeping investment and revenues within the local economy. The benefits for users and operators of EV charging stations become even more pronounced if a renewable energy asset such as solar PVs or wind turbines are used to power the chargers. By directly powering from an existing asset, operators can charge less and local community users pay less. The electricity also has the benefit of being 100% renewable.
Some community businesses find that the presence of EV charging points also has a positive impact on their income in terms of passing trade e.g. a community café might see increased footfall as customers stop to charge their cars and drop into the café for lunch or a coffee while they wait. An example of this is Comrie Croft, a green destination in Perthshire, which has a 50kW solar PV array which feeds 4 EV fast chargers. An additional 42kWh of battery capacity can store any excess electricity generated by the solar panels and has led to an 85% reduction in their electricity bills.