As part of the South Australian Government’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Smart Charging Trial, Flow Power partnered with City of Adelaide and UPark to provide UPark customers with greater access to smart EV charging stations.
The partnership provided two centrally located UPark car parks with six EV charging spots in both locations. The charging spots utilise Flow Power’s smart technology to help reduce charging costs and support the grid’s infrastructure.
The project aims to increase flexibility of EV charging in line with real-time wholesale electricity prices.
What is the South Australian EV Smart Charging Trial?
With 170,000 electric vehicles forecasted to be on South Australian roads by 2030, the South Australian Government invested $3.2 million in the Electric Vehicle (EV) Smart Charging Trial.
The trial aims to address integration issues, service gaps and ways to easily charge EVs. The trial will ensure that EV Smart Chargers are compatible with current vehicle models and provide customers with the best charging conditions that match periods of high renewable energy generation or when demand on the grid is low, to reduce stress on the electricity grid.
City of Adelaide, UPark and Flow Power – The collaboration, how does it work?
The UPark EV Fleet Smart Charging trial project leverages the City of Adelaide’s Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Flow Power.
Through the PPA, this project uses energy that is linked to renewable projects, including Mannum, Coonalpyn, Streaky Bay Solar Farms and Clements Gap Wind Farm and on-site solar.
Flow Power lead the integration of its innovative kWatch Controller technology at the two locations, to provide real-time wholesale electricity pricing and control for the smart EV chargers.
How is the electricity consumption being managed and monitored?
The project is using a demand response approach to provide electricity to the EV charging car parks.
With the kWatch Controller, the charging units control the availability of electricity to customers all day and night aligning to low grid demand, high renewable energy generation and, low or negative wholesale electricity prices.
This approach aims to support the growth of EVs in South Australia by making charging stations more accessible, while also meeting the trial’s objectives of managing network demand and optimising renewable electricity consumption.
What benefits will this project provide?
Project benefits include:
- Establishment of a simple EV charging parking model
- Easily understood fixed all-inclusive price for customers
- More accessible EV charging stations to help increase the uptake of EVs in South Australia
- Providing best charging conditions during high renewable generation, low grid demand and, low or negative wholesale electricity prices.
- Use of smart technologies to show real-time signals of the wholesale electricity market, monitoring the electricity market price and network demand, and subsequently making automated changes to EV charging
What factors will affect the charging station’s electricity supply?
The project provides customers with charging capacity for different periods of the day based on a combination of factors:
- Network demand (tariff structure)
- Site demand
- Wholesale / City of Adelaide’s electricity pricing
- City of Adelaide’s renewable electricity supply, through their PPA and on-site solar
Generally speaking, the project aims to encourage customers to charge between 10 am and 3 pm.
Questions about this project? We’re here to help.
If you’re an existing Flow Power customer, please reach out to your dedicated account manager.
If you’re not a Flow Power customer, contact our friendly team today:
? 1300 08 06 08
Alternatively, you can submit your questions through our website contact form here.
