In 2022, the number of charging infrastructure in China reached 5.2 million units, a year-on-year increase of nearly 100%. Charging infrastructure is an important guarantee for promoting the development of the new energy vehicle industry and is of great significance for promoting the clean and low-carbon transformation of China's transportation sector.

As the power demand for electric vehicle charging continues to increase, it puts great pressure on the transmission and power generation capacity of the system. In recent years, various solutions have emerged in the era of advocating green environmental protection, energy conservation and emission reduction, and vigorously developing new energy to address the difficulties and challenges in the development of large-scale electric vehicle charging. This includes the 'integrated optical storage and charging' charging station.

What is an 'integrated charging station for optical storage and charging'

The 'integrated photovoltaic energy storage and charging' charging station refers to 'photovoltaic+energy storage+charging', which integrates multiple technologies such as photovoltaic power generation, large capacity energy storage batteries, intelligent charging piles, etc. Among them, photovoltaic is responsible for power generation, charging piles are responsible for charging, and energy storage is the bridge between the two. This design utilizes a battery energy storage system to absorb low valley electricity and support fast charging loads during peak periods, providing green energy for electric vehicles. At the same time, a photovoltaic power generation system is used as a supplement to achieve auxiliary services such as peak shaving and valley filling, effectively reducing the load peak valley difference of fast charging stations and improving system operation efficiency.

It is a high-tech green charging model that coordinates and supports new energy, energy storage, and intelligent charging. It is also a new business model generated under the background of the country's strong promotion of electric vehicles, expansion of the charging pile market, and the inclusion of energy storage in major energy development projects.

In recent years, a series of policies to encourage the integration of optical storage and charging stations have been accelerated, promoting the industry to enter a stage of large-scale development.

In November 2020, the General Office of the State Council issued the 'Development Plan for the New Energy Vehicle Industry (2021-2035)', which clearly pointed out the encouragement of the construction of multi-functional integrated stations for 'photovoltaic storage charging and discharging' (distributed photovoltaic power generation energy storage system charging and discharging). This plan is also one of the earlier policies that explicitly encouraged the construction of integrated stations for light storage, charging, and discharging.

In 2022, policies will be gradually introduced in various regions. In January, March, and May, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration issued the '14th Five Year Plan' for the Modern Energy System, the '14th Five Year Plan' for the Development of New Energy Storage, and the 'Notice on Further Promoting the Participation of New Energy Storage in the Electricity Market and Dispatching Application'. They proposed to promote the pilot demonstration of new charging and swapping electric field stations that combine 'light storage charging and swapping', and made important arrangements for promoting the scale, industrialization, and market-oriented development of new energy storage.

In February 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and eight other departments issued a notice on organizing the pilot work of comprehensive electrification pilot zones for public sector vehicles, which mentioned accelerating the integrated pilot application of 'light storage charging and discharging' and exploring the implementation path of new energy vehicles participating in the electricity spot market.

The integrated solar energy storage and charging power station can solve the problem of insufficient distribution capacity in new energy vehicle charging stations. It uses low valley electricity prices at night to store energy, and supplies power to the charging station through energy storage and mains electricity during peak charging periods, meeting the electricity demand during peak periods. It not only achieves peak shaving and valley filling, but also saves distribution and capacity expansion costs, increases the consumption of new energy, makes up for the lack of continuity in solar power generation, improves energy conversion efficiency, and is a sustainable energy utilization method.

In terms of social benefits, integrated photovoltaic storage and charging power stations can help alleviate the tense situation of power supply, improve power supply reliability, and increase the initiative of demand side participation, thereby improving the stability level and operational efficiency of the entire power market.

In terms of building utilization, integrated charging stations for light storage and charging also play a unique role. The integrated solution of light storage and charging will be able to solve the problem of power distribution network in limited land resources. Not only is it suitable for green power supplementation in new energy vehicle charging and swapping stations, but various types of parking lots, industrial parks, etc. can also maximize the utilization of idle building area, reduce land use area, save land resource costs, and combine with the 'photovoltaic+transportation' mode to renovate gas stations and rest areas along highways, increasing the proportion of green power.

As a sub sector of the energy storage industry, the integrated development of optical storage and charging, which provides related services for new energy vehicles, is a profit model. With the continuous promotion of new energy vehicles, their functions will not be limited to passenger transportation and operation.

In the future, the battery assets carried by large-scale new energy vehicles will play an important role in the entire power system, transforming into micro mobile energy storage systems.

With the development of energy storage, integrated charging stations for optical storage and charging are expected to become an important direction for the development of charging and swapping infrastructure. At present, the photovoltaic energy storage industry is in the second stage of large-scale development, and energy storage projects will be widely applied in the future, becoming the driving force for economic development in the new energy field. Industry insiders have analyzed that by predicting the number of electric vehicles in the industry, we can recognize the potential for the development of integrated solar energy storage and charging power stations. In the current situation where integrated charging stations for light storage and charging do not yet have economic viability, enterprises should focus more on researching key technologies, especially in optimizing the economic operation of integrated power stations.

The new energy vehicle charging and swapping market still has great growth potential, and different sub sectors will emerge during this period. Therefore, it is possible to explore suitable modes for optical storage and charging stations based on different scenarios, but not all are applicable.

The integrated photovoltaic storage and charging power station is suitable for large centralized fast charging stations, industrial and commercial parks, commercial residences, and other places. By optimizing energy configuration through photovoltaic power generation and energy storage, it reduces electricity costs.

The construction of integrated light storage and charging power stations in service areas and along highways has also become a new development direction. We can fully utilize the existing roadside space to arrange photovoltaic power generation and energy storage systems, providing clean energy security for the future development of green and intelligent transportation.

The construction of photovoltaic power station charging piles in rural areas not only promotes the development of electric vehicles, but also meets various electricity needs in rural areas to a certain extent, thereby saving related energy and alleviating energy crises.

Reduce enterprise operating costs and increase revenue

In recent years, with the continuous decrease in the cost of 'photovoltaic+energy storage', many photovoltaic companies have entered the 'energy storage field', welcoming the peak of carbon neutrality through the deep integration of photovoltaic and energy storage.

As a new energy microgrid system, the integrated photovoltaic storage and charging power station can provide continuous green electricity for charging facility enterprises. Through energy storage and optimized configuration, the integrated solar energy storage and charging power station can achieve a basic balance between local energy production and energy load. Energy storage devices can be used to store energy during low electricity price periods, and stored energy can be used during peak electricity consumption periods, avoiding the direct large-scale use of expensive grid energy and reducing enterprise operating costs. On the one hand, it alleviates the impact of high current during peak charging on the regional power grid, and on the other hand, it brings considerable profits to charging stations through the price difference between peak and valley.

As an important 'supply station' for new energy vehicles, the construction of charging infrastructure greatly affects the development of the entire new energy vehicle industry. With the increase in the number of new energy vehicles, the vehicle to pile ratio, and the popularity of super fast charging, the demand for the power supply capacity of charging facilities is becoming increasingly high, which also brings great challenges to the existing charging network system.

The integrated charging station model of 'instant generation, instant use, and instant storage' can reduce charging losses. After promotion and construction, it can not only solve the problems of difficult and long-term charging for tram users, but also further reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector, empowering new energy vehicles with more green value.

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