Project lead: Transition Black Isle/ Caithness Voluntaty Group
Local Energy Challenge Fund award amount: £25,000
Location: Highland
The Local Energy Challenge Fund panel has encouraged these two complementary projects to develop a combined bid. Further details will be provided when the outcome of this proposal is known. Here is how these two groups envisage their projects coming together:
Vision
ACTION (Alternative Community Transport in Our Neighbourhood) Highland Highway will be a network of rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging points coupled with use of local renewable energy generation and energy storage.
Project
The objectives are to:
- use energy storage to directly link intermittent renewable energy generation with electric vehicle charging demand
- use energy storage via second life industrial batteries in conjunction with renewable generation to create rapid chargers in locations that would otherwise require reinforcement of the electricity network, considering available energy storage, demand response and integration technologies
- maximise the generation potential from existing and potentially new generation sites and existing stranded RE assets which have limited grid export capacity
- prove the use of electric vehicles utilising multiple charging points
- create new EV travel corridors that will link the new charging points with existing and planned charging infrastructure as well as local amenities, services and tourist attractions across the Highlands and Islands
- look at how communities can work with industrial partners and other stakeholders to investigate the use of second life industrial batteries
- support networking between community transport providers, logistics service providers, car clubs and electric vehicle users across the Highlands and Islands as well as looking at how refuelling costs are assigned to users.