Elexon provides charging infrastructure for Green Party convention and sees municipalities as pioneers
The Aachen-based charging solutions specialist Elexon provided the charging infrastructure for the Green Party Congress last weekend. In doing so, they are actively contributing to the municipal mobility transition, as climate protection is more than ever also a task for municipalities. Cities and communities should be pioneers of the energy and mobility transition, also to protect the people on site. Ensuring energy supply and protection against extreme weather events will be just as important in the future as climate protection itself, believes Marcus Scholz, Managing Director of elexon GmbH.
"We are proud to be on-site as the official charging infrastructure partner of the 49th Federal Delegates Conference of Alliance 90/The Greens in Karlsruhe. With our rental charging infrastructure, which we have temporarily installed near the main entrance of the exhibition center, we offer comfortable charging points to delegates, guests, and exhibitors who cannot travel by public transport," Scholz further explained.
The electrification of municipal vehicle and utility fleets is a crucial step into the future, according to Marcus Scholz. While many municipalities have already started electrification, the primary focus is still on installing public charging points. However, the fleets of cities and communities offer another important area where administration and politics can set the course for more climate protection and efficiency. By switching to e-mobility, municipalities can assume a role model function, especially if they also use electricity from renewable sources. This demonstrates climate competence and a willingness to actively bring about changes locally, according to the people of Aachen. Furthermore, e-vehicles not only contribute to achieving climate protection goals but also to reducing local noise and pollutant emissions and contribute to long-term budget consolidation.
"From practice, we know all too well the hurdles we encounter in installation projects. We know how important not only the political will but also the very concrete framework conditions are. In short: Anyone who wants a mobility transition must enable infrastructure expansion to be simple and fast. The Federal Party Congress is therefore very important for us as a discussion space. We are happy to share our practical experiences and are pleased when our expertise as specialists in fleet charging infrastructure finds its way into the political discourse," outlines Marcus Scholz on elexon's role at the party congress.
Intelligently using already sealed areas
The topic of solar carports will play an increasingly important role for municipal facilities in the future. Many companies and municipalities have understood that the electrification of their operation and construction yards will not only soon be standard and is crucial for reducing CO2 emissions but also increasingly offers economic advantages. From Aachen's perspective, the use of solar carports offers a number of additional benefits, such as sustainability and environmental protection. The installation of solar carports decisively drives forward the expansion of renewable energies and makes an important contribution to reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
With solar panels on a covered parking space, a considerable amount of electricity can be generated annually. Thus, the parking area no longer only serves for parking vehicles but also offers a meaningful dual use for energy generation. Depending on the vehicle's residence time, the carport's location, and based on an assumed average consumption of 17 kWh per vehicle, 30-50% of the required electricity can be generated directly on-site. However, the amount generated by the carport itself corresponds to about the entire annual energy requirement of an electric vehicle. Since the residence times of the vehicles often do not coincide with the time window of electricity generation, this can rarely be fully used for the connected charging infrastructure, but the electricity generated is still not lost.
Feeding into the power grid
Another important municipal argument is local consumption and feeding into the power grid. On one hand, the generated solar power can be used directly in the connected properties, or it can be fed into the public grid as surplus, thereby contributing to grid stability. Efficient use of sustainably generated energy is guaranteed, which can simultaneously create cost savings and reduce dependence on external energy suppliers. At the same time, solar carports reduce the energy consumption for vehicle air conditioning. They provide shade for parked vehicles, making the air conditioning of overheated vehicles less cumbersome. Additionally, a solar carport can also be beneficial for the local microclimate: A parking lot without shading radiates significantly more heat, which in turn leads to higher temperatures in surrounding buildings and increases their cooling needs.
Solar ports are also useful as weather protection
Comfort and protection of vehicles are also of significant importance. By providing protection from the sun, heat, hail, and snow, the vehicles are less affected by weather events. This results in lower repair and maintenance costs for vehicle owners. Additionally, protection from weather influences and reduced risk of damage can lower insurance premiums. Investments in sustainable energy generation through solar carports positively impact the municipal image. The willingness to use renewable energy and engage in active environmental protection is also positively perceived by the population and can affect the image of the municipality or the construction and operation yard.
Policy recommendations: Uniform rules needed
The Aachen team outlines demands and recommendations for political discourse. The current situation in the countries is confusing regarding the legal regulation of solar mandates, specifically the construction of solar carports.
"This leads to an unmanageable situation and significantly slows down the expansion of renewable energies. The individual legislations currently differ greatly from each other,” criticizes the specialist.
Not only within the framework of the Federal Delegate Conference of Alliance 90/The Greens do they want to draw attention to these issues. In a policy paper on the topic of “Solar Carports,” the most important recommendations for political decision-makers have been summarized and are also digitally accessible. Beyond the topic of “Solar Carports,” the provider sees itself in the role of shaping political decision-making processes from an economic perspective and based on practical experience, or accompanying them with technical expertise.
In parallel, elexon highlights the benefits of e-mobility not only in theory but also in practice: Portable charging solutions from elexon were installed for the duration of the Federal Delegate Conference on the P1 parking lot of the Karlsruhe Trade Fair, close to the main entrance, and made available as needed for delegates, guests, and exhibitors. Here, E-car drivers can charge their electric vehicles for free.
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