Crowd sourcing- solar station recharging business model

[jpokoraw1]

My concept is simple- crowd source a blue print, as a non-profit corporate entity, to build a fully self sustaining level 3 charging station, utilzing pv, wind, or other renewable sources of energy. The electricity would be stored in a large battery and connected to the grid in order to sell the excess electricity...

The goal would be to open source the whole proposal so that anyone in the community could take it, and use it as a turn key solution to building a local level 3 charger for public access.

http://www.findsolar.com/Content/SolarTools.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Instead of waiting... we could organize the expertise of our fellow LEAF enthusiasts to get this open source blueprint together...

Write a tutorial, or blog, on the various steps one must take to take this project from concept -organization - funding - purchasing - and construction...

once that is finished... we all individually run with that info host a chapter of this level 3 grassroots recharge alliance

what do you think?

 

[jpokoraw1]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pGjz7nJyspM/TebxKwB3f9I/AAAAAAAAAQo/bYfDDa2Uhzw/s640/LeafEconomyStats.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is that correct to assume that the average of electricity spent a month was about 170 kwh?

So, we would want to build a pv array to handle this type of usage.

 

[KJD]

Yes I think this might work. The cost has to be kept low, but solar panels are now approaching 1 dollar per watt and that is a pretty decent price. A few years ago they were about 5 dollars per watt.

Starting with the end result it should look something like this carport structure.

http://residentialsolarcarport.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The other day I talked to a company that was selling 230 watt panels for 250 bucks each.
The only gotcha was that you had to purchase 20 or more to get that price.
These are listed as SPI-230 watt panels on the front page. I am sure there are other dealers that will match this price.

http://www.sunelec.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now how many of these panels do you need?
The LEAF charger draws about 3800 watts maximum, so lets say 4000 watts is the starting point.
20 panels 230 watts each is 4600 watts, so we have a little bit of cushion for partly cloudy days.
The cost of the panels alone would be 250 times 20 = 5,000 dollars.
Now add in the cost of the inverters and other hardare to hook it to the grid and it will be 10 or 12,000.
Next step is design or buy a pole mounting system that would be reasonable cost and you could install these things most anywhere that has clear sunlight all day long.

Add in a EVSE that is outdoor rated with a J1772 standard plug and you are good to go.

How is that for starters ?

 

[jpokoraw1]

I was thinking level 3... to be able to set up a network across the major interstate highways

 

[jpokoraw1]

http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[KJD]

I was thinking level 3... to be able to set up a network across the major interstate highways

Level 3 could be done, but you would need 10 times more panels to make it produce electricity as fast as the Level 3 charger would consume it. This would also increase the cost factor by 10.

The other concern I have is with throwing 100 amps at the LEAF battery pack in a short amount of time may shorten the life of the battery pack. We already know that multiple QC sessions will raise the battery temp and high temps seem like a short path to a short battery life.

Not so sure I want to do a lot of quick charges right away even if they were available at low cost.

 

[camasleaf]

I believe a better local model will be if all EV and solar panels owners in one area can enter in an alliance to share their solar production for L3 charging. The local utility will need to keep track of the solar production while the L3 is used by a member of the alliance. If the total solar production of the members exceeds the L3 usage then the members will only be charged an electricity transfer fee.

I see the following advantages:
1 The solar panels and electricity transport infrastructure are already in place
2 The distributed nature of the solar panels will make them more reliable on both availability and power output
3 The utility cannot justify their peak demand charges
4 The technology to keep track of individual solar production is available
5 Billing regularization can be made at the end of the month
6 Night charging will still be available, without the need for batteries
7 Non members can still use the L3 and pay to the utility the full price or be limited below demand charge limit

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pGjz7nJyspM/TebxKwB3f9I/AAAAAAAAAQo/bYfDDa2Uhzw/s640/LeafEconomyStats.png

Is that correct to assume that the average of electricity spent a month was about 170 kwh?

So, we would want to build a pv array to handle this type of usage.

i average 170 KW in DCFC charges alone... well close. i had 18 DCFC charging events but of those, only 3 went over 10 KW but also added another nearly 400 KW at home

the chart shows someone who drives their LEAF 500 miles a month. i could not justify the cost of the car for that low mileage and i believe that 80-90% of LEAF drivers go significantly farther

 

[jpokoraw1]

I was thinking level 3... to be able to set up a network across the major interstate highways

Level 3 could be done, but you would need 10 times more panels to make it produce electricity as fast as the Level 3 charger would consume it. This would also increase the cost factor by 10.

The other concern I have is with throwing 100 amps at the LEAF battery pack in a short amount of time may shorten the life of the battery pack. We already know that multiple QC sessions will raise the battery temp and high temps seem like a short path to a short battery life.

Not so sure I want to do a lot of quick charges right away even if they were available at low cost.

Would you need that much if you stored the entire charge in a battery? I see the PV panels trickle charging into a battery supply throughout the day.

But then, would you run into the same problem as the car's power supply... the battery degrading faster than the investment is worth?

 

[AndyH]

But then, would you run into the same problem as the car's power supply... the battery degrading faster than the investment is worth?

Off the top of my head I'd have to say 'not necessarily.' Using a large flooded lead acid battery (industrial cells - thick lead plate beasties like the 1110Ah 2V Trojan's or so - and keeping the discharge to no more than 50% should still give a 1000+ charges at least. Organizing as a business so the equipment can be depreciated, taking advantage of any alternative fueling station incentives/buy downs, etc. might make this a worthwhile operation.