Residents of the Aran Islands have begun their participation in what is believed to be Europe’s first practical study on how integrating renewable energy, electric transport, storage heating and other environmental initiatives can lead to a sustainable, cost effective and money saving solution for all our energy needs.
The project was conceived by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and developed in conjunction with Electric Vehicle suppliers Green Machines, Merrion Fleet Management and Smart Metering specialists Klockner Moeller Ireland.
The electric Mega e-City vehicles are an integral part of the study that will run over the next three years and eight of these unique cars were delivered to the Aran Islands this week.
Robert Nolan, Managing Director of Green Machines said: “Having spent some time working on this project it is fantastic to see the delivery of the eight electric vehicles to the islands. The Mega e-City cars are ideal as they are built to perform and maintain their high quality appearance in the harshest of environments. I don’t think that the French manufacturer could have asked for a better proving ground than the Aran Islands.”
As part of the study the Mega e-Citys will be used as everyday transport by the participants. Their charging patterns and usage of electricity will be monitored and managed through a smart metering system. It is envisaged that when the vehicles are charging, primarily at night, that they will be using energy from renewable sources. The excess power that is stored in the batteries of the vehicles would otherwise be wasted.
Nolan continued “The long-term aim of the islanders is to make their home the first region of the country that is totally green in every sense of the word. Through the adoption of a smart home energy management system and the use of electric vehicle batteries as a source of grid energy storage I think that they will not only achieve their goal but will prove to the rest of the country that sustainability is a realistic prospect for the whole country.”
The eight vehicles will be managed and serviced by Green Machines partners in the Project, Merrion Fleet Management and the Island Co-Ops.
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers