TravelCenters of America Using Microgrids to Aid in the Transition to EV Charging
Article created for the digital issue聽of聽the 黑料社区Foundation鈥檚 magazine.
has plans to add electric charging stalls across hundreds of its locations and plans to use microgrids鈥攍ocal electrical grids鈥攊n some areas to support power needs for passenger as well as medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
said TA is in the process of adding a microgrid to its location in Ontario, California, and plans to add more microgrids at locations along the West Coast.聽 鈥淲e want to be there for the fleets to support them,鈥� he said while speaking during .
The Ontario, California, location is TA鈥檚 busiest and most profitable site. 鈥淭he reason for microgrid is demand shaving. If trucks plug in and draw a lot of power quickly, we have to shave off that peak demand,鈥� Bushey said. 鈥淭he other reason is for sustainability if there is a brownout.鈥�
, a microgrid provider, said 80% of the inquiries the company receives are for bridge-to-grid solutions for locations that can鈥檛 get all of the power they need from the grid. Currently, Enchanted Rock has 700 active sites, including truck stops.
, said microgrids are an important part of the electrification journey, and can be an incredibly helpful tool, but are also complicated.
Microgrids are a capital-intensive solution, and the economics need to analyzed carefully. 鈥淲hen we look at the U.S. grid, there are tens of thousands of pricing models for electricity,鈥� DeBoar said, noting that those prices factor into the return on investment.
DeBoar added that he is seeing price spreads grow dramatically. 鈥淚n some area, rates can exceed 30 cents per kilowatt hour. These are warning signs that there are steps that need to be taken,鈥� he said.
There are many ways to finance microgrids, and DeBoar said there can be a positive total cost of ownership especially given that funding is currently available for microgrids. 鈥淚n the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act), there are two pieces of tax code that feed deeply into the technologies of a microgrid that can give 30% or more in the cost of the microgrid.鈥�
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, states, regions and utilities can also provide funding. 鈥淭he end benefits can ultimately be a facility where you have a powerful hedge against the inflationary pressure of electricity costs,鈥� DeBoar added.
Bushey recommends doing thorough planning upfront to help control costs. 鈥淓very change you make as you get closer and closer to construction day is going to cost you time and it is going to cost you money,鈥� he said. 鈥淒o you best to make a plan and move forward.鈥�
When developing microgrids to support medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, it can be difficult to anticipate what utilization is going to be five years down the road. 鈥淲e use projections to move forward with what we think the energy demand might be,鈥� Bushey said.
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