The number of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing worldwide. The use of EVs can play an important role in achieving zero-emission goals. However, CO2 emissions in transportation can only be reduced to a minimum if the energy for the cars comes entirely from renewable sources. The MIGRO (Microgrid Research and Experimentation Platform for Future Grids) research project, led by Dr. Steffen Schlegel, is taking up this challenge and paving the way for sustainable individual mobility for members of TU Ilmenau. Handan Sahin, a Master's student of Media and Communication Science at the university, spoke to the scientist as part of a seminar on sustainability communication: “The MIGRO project is an example of TU Ilmenau's commitment to sustainability and innovation. By tackling real problems and promoting a culture of research and development, the university is paving the way for a more sustainable future.” she states.
With the increasing number of electric vehicles, there are more and more public parking spaces for charging electric vehicles. As part of the MIGRO project, TU Ilmenau is also providing university members with slow EV charging stations above the central lecture hall building, powered by clean energy from photovoltaic (PV) panels and mounted in close proximity to the parking spaces. The project aims to increase the efficiency of the charging process and evaluate the acceptance of the provided slow charging stations in this specific use case. Fifteen students and employees can participate in the project each semester with their private electric vehicles - and thus reduce their CO2 footprint, which according to the Federal Environment Agency averages 10.3 tons per year, by around 25%. To give as many university members as possible a chance to participate, new people can apply each semester.
“We started this project by using existing solar panels and generators,” explains project manager Dr. Steffen Schlegel, senior engineer at the Power Systems Group, one of three participating research groups at the Thuringian Energy Research Institute (ThEFI) at TU Ilmenau,
This project has shown that clean energy can be provided for everyone with little effort and little money. We now have eight charging stations that enable slow charging of up to 3.7 kilowatts. By the end of the six-year project, we plan to optimize the system to increase efficiency and performance.
Clean energy at a reasonable cost
The system has no large-scale storage system and uses only sunlight as an energy source, without relying on backup options from public power grids. Charging is therefore heavily dependent on favorable weather conditions. This means that users may not be able to charge their cars fully or at all after several days of bad weather. Dr. Schlegel: “This is not ideal. Nevertheless, solar panels are cheaper than storage and grid access and effectively provide clean energy for propulsion at a reasonable cost. In addition, with the web interface we have added, participants can monitor the real-time status of the charging stations, i.e., the power level, available and used units, and the car's state of charge, via the website and mobile app.”
Before the project began, researchers at the Group for Media Research and Political Communication surveyed to understand how long university members commute by car. This revealed that staff and students travel an average of 65 kilometers on their commute to the university. Taking into account the capacity of the charging stations, the research team calculated that with eight hours of slow charging, it would be easy to drive to and from the university most days of the year.
Increasing the potential of stand-alone renewable energy systems
As an internal research project supported by funds from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and launched in the last quarter of 2022, MIGRO is scheduled to run for a total of six years. Due to the interdisciplinary nature and high relevance of the topic, the setup will also be used as a test environment in the SOFIE project to investigate software-specified autonomous energy systems under the direction of Prof. Albrecht Gensior from the Power Electronics and Control Group . The system uses only photovoltaic (PV) energy for the charging stations of electric vehicles, demonstrating the potential for stand-alone renewable energy systems to power EVs. The project aims to improve the system used to reduce the existing energy loss when converting direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC), which is currently around 20 percent. Dr. Steffen Schlegel:
We are aiming to increase the capacity of the system by 150 percent after our performance tests by adding more panels to the system. This will allow us to generate more energy without the need for additional technical equipment and reduce the overall cost of the system. We also plan to increase the efficiency of the system by up to 90 percent by the end of the project. This alone underlines the potential of the system to provide affordable, clean energy to wider applications such as remote areas, households, or public parking lots via sustainable and self-sufficient charging stations.
Volunteers welcome
The project team currently comprises five people, including a postdoc, an exchange student from France, a technician, and an operating manager. In addition, the participating students and employees of TU Ilmenau provide real data and experience from the perspective of the end users who drive the project forward. Other engineering students are also welcome to volunteer and learn in the project.
Participants are satisfied with the project
Dr. Dorothee Arlt from the Group for Media Research and Political Communication surveys the participants at the end of each semester to evaluate the users' experiences with the system. So far, according to Arlt, the results show that the participants are satisfied with the project. For the research team, this feedback is important in order to refine the technology and understand the conditions under which the chargers work best. Over the course of the project, the survey results will also provide information about users' preferences for slow-charging units.
Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
The MIGRO project paves the way for an economical approach to renewable and green energy for electric cars and contributes to the reduction of CO2 levels on campus. Through this project, university members are introduced to an alternative solution for sustainable transportation and the developed system has the potential for global implementation. By addressing these aspects, it contributes to the achievement of SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy. As one of the 17 goals that the United Nations aims to achieve by 2030 to emphasize the link between environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainable development, SDG 7 aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all.
Contact
Dr. Steffen Schlegel
Senior Engineer Power Systems Group