Green Power on Gower
The 1MW solar farm at Killan Fach farm in Dunvant now has a fully operational battery, releasing green energy from locally-harvested sunshine into the grid when it’s most needed. Sales of green electricity from the farm will help to grow a pot of funds for Gower Regeneration to use for projects that benefit the local community.
But that’s not all! The battery means we can now offer an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging facility on-site. 2 charging points enable EVs to access 22kw of power (more than a home charging station, giving a faster charge) for just 18p per kilowatt hour.
Needless to say, the juice flowing from the battery into EVs is 100% green, either drawn directly from the solar panels on site, or, if supplies run low, topped up from other renewable sources.
The charge points can be used via the Podpoint app, easily installed on a smart phone. According to Podpoint, the “EV Charging Ecosystem” of the UK currently consists of 60% home charging points, 30% workplace charge points, just 7% at destinations like supermarkets, cinemas, shopping centres and public car parks and a mere 3% en route. The capacity of an EV battery is such that very long journeys need to be carefully planned to allow for top-ups, and more en-route charging is needed if the UK is going to make the switch to EV viable for many motorists.
Amongst the green community there are genuine concerns that demand will soon outstrip supply, and drivers need to know they have plenty of charging options before taking the plunge and switching their dirty old motor for a clean new EV. Swansea Council is expanding EV charging facilities through their car parks, which is very welcome, and we’re delighted to add to the growing local network of charging stations. So if you’re down Gower way and fancy relaxing in some peaceful countryside, whilst admiring our awesome array of solar cells as they charge your car with sunshine at a discounted rate, do call in. We think this is a better stopping place than a supermarket or a city centre car park, guaranteeing 100% green fuel whilst leaving you feeling as recharged as your car.
This project has been part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, a development grant from the Welsh Government Energy Service and a loan from the Development Bank of Wales, making an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging facility on-site possible