The Sustainable Porto Santo – Smart Fossil Free Island project, which started in January is expected to last 18 months and was rolled-out by the government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
EEM was placed in charge of energy and electric mobility, which subsequently sought and chose Groupe Renault as its partner for electric mobility solutions.
Meanwhile, Groupe Renault has joined up with players from the energy sector including Bouygues Energies et Services, The Mobility House and ABB for the Porto Santo project.
The project will involve the use of electric vehicles, second-life batteries, smart charging and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) to boost the world's first smart island’s energy independence and stimulate the production of renewable energy.
There will be three complementary phases where 20 volunteers on the island of Porto Santo will drive 14 ZOEs and six Kangoo Z.E.s for their everyday use.
Furthermore, the volunteers will have access to 40 connected public and private smart charging facilities set up by EEM and Renault throughout the island.
Smart charging adjusts battery charging rates as a function of users’ needs and the availability of electricity via the grid. Batteries are charged when supply exceeds demand, notably during renewable energy production peaks. Charging ceases when demand for electricity outstrips supply by the grid, thereby optimising the supply of local renewable energy.
In the case of V2G charging, electric vehicles provide electricity to the grid during peak hours. In this way, not only do they benefit from the advantages of smart charging, but they will also serve as a means to store energy temporarily.
Lastly, second-life batteries from Renault electric vehicles will be used to store the fluctuating supply of energy produced by Porto Santo’s solar and wind farms and can be recovered by the grid as and when needed to meet local demand.
Once life as a power source for electric vehicles is over, EV batteries continue to be capable of storing a significant amount of energy. Renault is able to harness this energy in less demanding environments, notably for the purposes of stationary energy storage.
By giving batteries a second lease of life, Renault is today able to cover the full spectrum of energy storage needs, from individual homes to office buildings, factories, schools and apartment blocks, and even the charging of electric vehicles.
“We are delighted to be teaming up with EEM today to establish this unprecedented smart electric ecosystem which demonstrates to what extent the electric revolution is changing our everyday lives beyond just transport. Our aim is to build a model that can be carried over to other islands, eco-districts and cities, while consistently striving to achieve large-scale roll-out of electric mobility solutions that are affordable for all,” said Groupe Renault electric vehicles and new business programme director Eric Feunteun.
