Introduction

Energy is a foundation of human activity, either as an input to the production process or as a final consumer good. Currently energy costs are affected by post-pandemic demand recovery as well as broader geopolitical changes. Dealing with rising energy costs (oil, natural gas, electricity) is a significant global challenge.

In addition, climate change due to the extensive use of fossil fuels and the effect of the transport sector on it, needs to be addressed immediately. Urban areas consume 60-80% of the world's energy and are responsible for the release of 70% of carbon dioxide gases. In the EU, CO2 emissions from road transport account for 20% of total CO2 emissions, while passenger cars, which are used for an average of only 2 hours per day, account for over 60% of total road transport CO2 emissions in the EU. At the same time, the transport sector is the only one in which carbon dioxide emissions have increased over the last three decades, by 33.5%. Europe’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 (Fit for 55) is a cornerstone for the ultimate goal of making the EU the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

In this context, the promotion of electric mobility (sustainable mobility) is extremely important. Fully electric or hybrid vehicles are an increasingly popular transport mode. Approximately 6M public EV chargers will be needed by 2030 at European level. Public and corporate policies need to encourage electric transport, exploiting renewable energy sources (solar radiation, wind power). This, combined with the intelligent use of the land, leads to the protection of the environment, contributing to the improvement of the health of the population.

Intracom Telecom contributes to addressing the above challenges by developing the Smart Carport solution which focuses indicatively but not restrictively in corporate users or Municipalities/governmental locations with available open parking spaces. Moreover, publicly accessible or controlled access areas like Commercial Hubs (shopping centers, supermarkets), Workplaces with Car parking lots, Hotels, Hospitals, Car Rental or Repair companies, Shared Charging on Multi-Dwell properties, Gas stations are potentially deployment domains for Smart Carport.

Solution Overview

Intracom Telecom's Smart Carport expands the traditional use of a Carport into an energy-hybrid smart charging solution for electric vehicles, in which a PhotoVoltaic (PV) system is used as an additional energy source with optional battery storage capabilities.

Smart Carport can operate either as a Net Metering installation (using Energy Off-setting) or completely energy independent (off-grid), using the energy produced by the PV panels installed on the roof.

The electrical energy produced by the PV panels is stored in a battery array and supplies alternating current (AC), through inverters, to the locally installed electric vehicle chargers. The combination of solar panels and energy storage through batteries ensures optimal system performance, making it possible to save energy by charging even when there is insufficient or no sunlight (cloudy, evening).

Smart Carport is equipped with remote-controlled sensors (via LoRaWAN, nb-IoT) to automatically detect the occupancy of parking spaces within their marked boundaries. For lighting, remote-controlled LED lighting is used, which is activated depending on the car presence in combination with the light of the surrounding area. Local WiFi may be also included, so that the user can activate and control the charging process via Mobile Intracom app, instead of an authorization card. Finally, there is a digital smart energy meter installed, through which all electrical parameters of the system are remotely available at any time.

The management of the overall solution, which includes Chargers, Inverters, Batteries, Lighting Controllers, Parking Sensors, Energy Meter, is achieved remotely through Intracom Telecom’s cloud-based Management Software Platform (powered by uiTOP™). It greatly simplifies the monitoring and management of the relevant infrastructure. Any available telecommunication interface network, wireless or wired, can be used for the interconnection of the installed equipment with the management platform.

Smart Carport is offered as a turn-key solution, independent of specific manufacturers and types of chargers (AC or DC), with minimal maintenance costs and full technical support. In addition to the above and depending on case-by-case needs, it is possible to integrate other vertical solutions offered by Intracom Telecom, such as the installation of security cameras or station(s) collecting environmental data and measuring ambient air quality.

Efficient & Sustainable Mobility

Smart Carport can fully cover charging needs with up to zero emissions using smart management strategies:

1. In case there is an excess of generated energy, the batteries are automatically charged so that the stored energy can be used later, when there is increased demand in addition to the PV panels.
2. When the produced by the PV panels energy is not sufficient due to increased demand (EV charging), the need is automatically covered by the energy stored in the batteries, thus achieving the limitation of Utility network absorption to the absolute minimum.
3. In case of high demand, the energy from both the PV and the batteries is used at the same time.
4. In case of Net metering installation, when the demand exceeds the available energy (produced by the panels and stored in the batteries), the required excess energy will be absorbed from the Utility network and at a later stage offset with the energy injected into the Network when energy from PV and batteries exceeds the demanded one.
5. Optimization of the charging process and efficiency through load balancing (Load Balancing) to the chargers but also prioritization, if required, to specific EV charging users.

Unified Management Software

Our Smart Carport solution is powered by its own in-house advanced cloud-based platform that simplifies remote management of charging networks. It integrates with Carport infrastructure components (chargers, inverters, parking sensors, smart lights, energy meters, etc.) via open interfaces and standardized protocols (e.g. OCPP) and can also interface with external networks and customer systems through open APIs. The platform provides all the necessary functionality required to keep the Carport network in healthy shape and enables important operational flexibility by allowing customers to implement fine grained charging & power management policies and produce reports that are required in order to align with requirements posed by relevant legislation/laws. Whether offered to Enterprises, Public organizations or Municipalities the platform can be tailored to fit a variety of business and network needs.

Conclusion

The Smart Hybrid Energy Solution for Electric Vehicle Charging (Smart Carport) of Intracom Telecom, contributes to addressing the challenges related to the high energy costs, the environmental footprint minimization and the promotion of electric mobility. By adopting innovative technologies in software and hardware it offers energy efficient, environmentally friendly, easy, safe and affordable electric charging to the end organization/user (Company, Municipality).