For the first time in South Australia, EV drivers will soon be able to charge their vehicles at their local shopping centre, while also helping to stabilise the state’s power grid.
Planet Ark Power (master licensee of eleXsys technology) will install 14 electric vehicle chargers at Pasadena Shopping Centre, including six Ultra-Fast and eight Fast dual point Charging Stations along with a 1MW/1.25MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) integrated with eleXsys Energy Units, which are connected to the electricity grid. The EV charger integrated with battery energy storage system will be the first built at a South Australian shopping centre.
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The Ultra-Fast points will provide an ultra-fast charge for EV vehicles and can fully charge a car in between 15 and 45 minutes, when the customer boost is activated by an EV customer entering Pasadena Shopping Centre.
The Fast points will provide a fast charge and can fully charge a car in two to four hours, depending on the vehicle type. Combined, they will provide 476kW of vehicle charging.
The BESS will be charged from the grid at peak solar production times and stored for EV driving customers of the Pasadena Shopping Centre including Foodland Pasadena and the wider community, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This ‘community battery’ will function as a solar sponge by absorbing abundant excess power generated by solar renewables and storing the power to not only charge EVs, but also feedback into the electricity grid during periods of high demand, with the BESS storing enough electricity to power more than 160 homes for a year.
Construction will commence on the Pasadena Shopping Centre ‘EV Hub’ in a few months and will open in early 2023.
Planet Ark Power CFO/CCO Jonathan Ruddick said the organisation was excited to be working with the Pasadena Shopping Centre, Adelaide’s Finest Supermarkets and the state government to deliver this South Australian-first two-way charging grid.
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“This multi-million investment in grid connected EV and energy storage infrastructure by Planet Ark Power demonstrates our commitment to promoting EV uptake, decarbonising the South Australian grid and will provide significant community benefits,” Ruddick said.
The Commercial Retail Group, owner of Pasadena Shopping Centre, Foodland Pasadena and sister store Foodland Frewville, under Adelaide’s Finest Supermarkets, also plans to incorporate the initiative into a wider sustainability plan currently being developed. The plan will span green energy, waste reduction, recycling and reducing its use of natural resources.
