Smart Solar Charging one of five most innovative best practices of European sustainable policy

Smart Solar Charging was selected as one of five most innovative best practices in Europe of sustainable policy according to the Regiostars Awards organized by the European Commission. Smart Solar Charging is a bidirectional charging system for electric cars where car batteries can either charge or deliver energy back to the electricity grid. This way sustainable energy can be used when there is a high demand for energy in the local district. Starting from the Utrecht Region in The Netherlands, Smart Solar Charging develops and expands this sustainable energy system of tomorrow.

Regiostars Awards

Each year the European Commission honours projects that deliver exceptional achievements and novel approaches in regional development with the Regiostars Awards. This year, the Directorate General of Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission selected 25 finalists in five categories from 206 submissions. Smart Solar Charging competed with four other projects in the category Industrial Transition for a Smart Europe. The film Smart Solar Charging: sustainable energy system of tomorrow shows how this unique project is developed and scaled up in the Utrecht Region in The Netherlands.

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Towards a smart Europe

Smart Solar Charging develops the bidirectional ecosystem in combination with shared electric cars in different living labs in the Utrecht Region. Each living lab has its own user profile, which ensures the development of broadly adaptable solutions that can be implemented directly on a large scale. A recent addition to the living labs is the city-wide network in the city of Utrecht. Opened in March 2019 by King Willem-Alexander in the city district Lombok, meanwhile there are already 300 smart bidirectional charging stations and 60 shared electric cars in 9 out of 10 districts of the city of Utrecht. The goal is to double the amount of locations in the city of Utrecht by the end of 2021.

Collaboration

Led by Utrecht Sustainability Institute and LomboXnet, they work together with Utrecht University, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Last Mile Solutions, We Drive Solar, New Solar, Siers, The People Group, Jedlix, Stedin and Smart Solar Charging BV to realize the sustainable energy system. The Smart Solar Charging project is supported by the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRO) Kansen voor West II.