Gas Station Case Study

EV Charging Station, Markham, Ontario

Problem

The demand for commercial EV charging station infrastructure is growing rapidly. With this, electricity consumption costs and transformer overloading have become big concerns to infrastructure owners. Our client in Ontario, Canada sought to utilize solar PV and energy storage system to reduce the demand stress on grid and make bill savings by reducing grid usage during peak periods.

Solution

The charging station has Level 2 and Level 3 DC commercial EV chargers that can charge EVs in a short period of time due to high charging power. The power demand of a Level 3 charger is normally higher than 30 kW and in cases above 100 kW as well. Usage of Level 3 charger during peak hours has significant impact on electricity bills of the client. The integrated solar PV and BESS has given a smart charging solution to our client without overloading the existing system and eliminated the inconvenience of charging EVs during peak hours.

Cost Saving Benefits

The system cost is US$95,000. Assuming 2066 hours sunshine in Toronto, Level 3 EV charger usage fee as US$0.21/min (US$0.25/kWh), and Level 2 EV charger usage fee as US$0.01/min (US$0.1/kWh), the annual charging cost will be US$14,286. In just 4 years, the BESS is paid off.

Initial Cost	Daily Usage	Annual Savings	Payback
US$95,000	8 hours	US$23,966	~4 years

About The System

The system comprises of a 100 kWh BESS charged by a 10-kW solar PV array and the grid, powering Level 3 and Level 2 EV chargers in the station. The Level 3 charger in this setup charges an ordinary EV up to 80% in just 30 minutes. The BESS allows EV charging, avoiding the peak hour costs of grid electricity.