GridBeyond has been selected by City of York Council to manage its new electric vehicle (EV) charging ‘HyperHub’.
Located at the Monks Cross Park & Ride, the hub consists of solar panel canopies, an energy storage unit and both rapid and ultra-rapid chargers – the latter being the first use of the technology in the city.
The company will now manage the 350KW on-site battery, playing it into grid balancing services, helping to increase the flexibility on the grid – enabling more renewables to be connected and creating an additional source of revenue for City of York Council.
“The ‘HyperHub’ does not only deliver immediate benefits to the EVs users, enabling them to charge their cars easily and swiftly, using renewable energy, but the project will also contribute to the decarbonisation of the whole energy network,” said Cllr Keith Aspden, leader, and Cllr Andy D’Agorne, deputy leader of City of York Council.
“Thanks to GridBeyond’s technology, the on-site battery, used to store energy and charge EVs, will also provide additional flexibility to the power network, supporting National Grid with greater integration of renewable sources into the energy mix and advancing the net zero agenda.”
The solar and battery energy storage assets were provided by EvoEnergy. GridBeyond’s Point platform will provide energy monitoring, forecasting and reporting on the battery and its state of charge.
As well as optimising a range of assets in the UK, GridBeyond has been expanding internationally including moving into the Australian, Japanese and US markets over the past couple of years.
Additionally, the company is looking to develop a pipeline of behind the meter battery storage projects in the UK and Ireland thanks to a financing facility from Triodos Energy Transition Europe Fund.
“The development of a reliable EV charging infrastructure is a critical enabler for energy transition and grid decarbonisation. All the more so when, like in the York project, the charging units are co-located with renewable generation and energy storage assets that can support the balancing of the energy network while delivering additional revenue for the battery owners,” said Mark Davis, managing director UK & Ireland at GridBeyond.
“Besides participation in grid balancing services, AI-powered energy technologies, such as GridBeyond’s Point platform, enable operators of the EV networks to generate more efficiencies through the access to wholesale market – whether it is to buy energy when it is the cheapest and store it in a battery, or sell the energy when the prices are at their highest.”
The Monks Cross Park & Ride is one of two sites developed by the City of York Council, with a second located at Poppleton Bar Park & Ride that also ties together EV charging, renewable generation and flexibility.
