Surrey Country Council has installed a pop-up solar car park and EV charging hub at its Council Depot Centre in Merrow, Guildford. 3ti completed the installation, which will support the council’s transition to electric fleets.
Surrey County Council (SCC) required an installation suitable for a compact area at the site. As such, Papilio3, which has been installed across a range of other settings for destination and workplace charging, will charge SCC’s growing EV fleet.
Each Papilio3 has an installed capacity of 19.3kWp and can produce up to 18MWh of electricity in year one. The pop-up solution has also been installed at Silverstone race track and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness – NHS Scotland’s first solar EV hub.
Each Papilio3 has three modular canopies that support 36 solar panels, as well as a battery storage capacity of up to 250kWh. The modular unit combines solar PV with battery energy storage and is designed around a recycled shipping container, which makes it easy to transport and place: each unit can be rolled out in 24 hours.
It can be placed on tricky terrain and easily moved, making it an ideal solution for SCC, which has agreed to a three-year hire from 3ti.
Ben Marchant, CEO at 3ti, said: “The installation of Papilio3 at the Council Depot Centre is enabling the council to expand its electric fleet and deliver on its commitments to securing a greener future by decarbonising the transport sector. This particular application introduced new constraints for our team to overcome, further illustrating the versatility of our innovative pop-up solar car park which continues to be able to adapt to a range of varied applications and conditions.”
“We thoroughly enjoyed working with the council to overcome these challenges and are delighted to broaden access to EV charging and, together, ‘Leave Something Better Behind.’”
Paul Wheadon, strategic contract group manager for the council’s highways and transport department, added: “We’re delighted to have Papilio3 installed, which represents an important milestone in our effort to reduce emissions and expand our electric vehicle fleet.
“As well as the benefit of generating solar power to charge our fleet, the nature of the structure means we have the flexibility to conveniently relocate the unit elsewhere on the site in the future if needed, unlike with other charging solutions.
“Papilio3 aligns with our wider commitment to reduce the impact of transport on the environment, as we continue to work towards achieving a greener future”.
This article was originally published on our sister site, Current±.
