At AFPA, the shade house recharges electric vehicles ... naturally

It is a first in the Limousin region: in addition to the purchase of an electric vehicle "ZOE" a shade house (similar to an open courtyard), with a roof composed of photovoltaic panels, has just been installed within AFPA Limousin.

Objective of this multi-partnership project: to enable users of electric vehicles to recharge their batteries on the conventional network or using the energy supplied by the panels. The actors of the project: EDF Direction Commerce Grand Center, Constructys the OPCA of construction, Renault, AFPA, SDIS 87 and Legrand invite you, on Friday April 11, from 11 a.m. to 14 p.m. on the AFPA website in Limoges for the inauguration of the device, a round table and a space dedicated to each partner (EV test tracks, etc.)

A la carte recharge

With a surface area of 26 m², the shade house, a sun shelter under which two vehicles can park, is equipped with two types of charging stations. The first single-phase terminal (230 V, 3,7 kVA) is supplied by photovoltaic energy (peak power: 3,75kWp) and, as a possible complement, by the traditional ERDF network. The user also has the possibility of using the second three-phase terminal (400 V, 22 kVA) which, for its part, is connected exclusively to the conventional electrical network to have an accelerated charge.

One of the advantages of the installation is therefore to combine the two types of power supply so that the vehicles can be recharged at any time of the day. Characterized by its limited surface area, the project is easily reproducible in tertiary buildings for example. Reliable and secure, the installation is fitted with a “fire-fighting safety” box, developed by Legrand and intended to quickly shut down the photovoltaic system in the event of a fire.

A collaborative and multi-purpose project

The technically efficient project was made possible thanks to an efficient collaboration between different partners. The Legrand Group (*), in charge of supplying photovoltaic equipment and solutions, worked in conjunction with EDF SA, and EDF Optimal Solutions, a subsidiary of EDF SA, which was responsible for the design and project management of the project, AFPA du Limousin and Renault, supplier of the electric car to the training organization.

The shade was installed to ensure the recharging of the AFPA "Zoe" vehicle (or any other electric car on site) but other uses, for educational purposes, are also possible. AFPA trainees will thus be able to learn and discover in real life the operation of a charging infrastructure for Electric Vehicles. The SDIS 87 firefighters will also be able to understand, thanks to this installation, the operational procedures to be implemented on electric vehicles.