Renewable tech distributor Segen has had a smart EV charging solar system installed by 3ti at its training centre in Kent.
The Papilio3 system is 3ti’s pop-up solar car park and EV charging hub that has an installed capacity of 19.3kWp and can produce up to 18MWh of electricity in year one. It uses a combination of solar and local mains power and can fast charge 12 EVs at 7kW, 11kW or 22kW simultaneously, reducing reliance on expensive ultra-rapid chargepoints.
The Segen Academy is a purpose-built facility on the same premises as the company’s distribution centre, aimed at tackling the UK’s shortage of qualified renewables installers. The academy has the capacity to train around 1,600 people a year, and the charging hub will be available to anyone working or training at the academy.
Segen is renting the Papilio3 system on a three-year contract. Existing grid connections on the site are optimised through the system’s smart charging capability, and its portability prevents the need for planning permission, which helped accelerate deployment.
“As a leader in the renewables sector, we are committed to setting an example by using innovative solutions to reduce our carbon footprint,” said James Galloway, global product director at Segen.
3ti CEO Ben Marchant added: “Segen and 3ti have extensive common ground; we are both working to support businesses in the move towards a renewable-rich future that helps to decarbonise transport. It, therefore, felt very apt that our Papilio3 could help serve Segen’s needs at its training site, providing users with low-cost, low-carbon EV charging. It is the perfect use case to prove the validity of destination charging.”
In 2021, Segen was acquired by Labora Holdings Limited, the parent company of electrical products and services supplier City Electrical Factors. Through its proprietary online portal, Segen manufactures and distributes solar PV, EV charging, energy storage system technologies and ancillary electricity equipment.
A report released in September by LinkedIn revealed that the global green talent pool needs to double in size by 2050 if the world is to have any chance of meeting global decarbonisation goals.
Segen’s training centre is part of its initiative to plug the green skills gap in the UK, something that prime minister Keir Starmer has made efforts to resolve as the government pushes towards clean power by 2030.
Following the release of Skills England’s report on the skills gaps in the UK workforce, Starmer, alongside education secretary Bridget Phillispon, announced a new growth and skills levy that will replace the existing apprenticeship levy and include new foundation apprenticeships.
The training eligible for funding under the new levy will develop over time, as informed by Skills England’s judgement of which sectors need the most attention.
More recently, Welsh onshore wind developer launched a Net Zero Skills Strategy in schools as part of the UK’s Green Careers Week running between 4 and 9 November.
