Students make electric bike charging stations from solar energy

20/10/2021

Nguyen Thi Thuy Van and her sister, Khuong Vu Tram Anh, majoring in Architecture, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, have just completed the project of a charging station for electric vehicles using solar energy named Greensol.

The charging station is designed for 6 bikes to charge at the same time. To fully charge a 12A electric vehicle, it takes 8 hours of charging and consumes 4,608 kWh. Thus, 6 bikes need an amount of 27,648,000 kWh of electricity to charge. The total capacity for this charging station needs about 7 kWh, equivalent to 15 solar panels.

Model of electric vehicle charging station of a group of students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. Photo: Research team

When put into use, each student can charge several times, each time only being charged for 2 hours. The bike owner can monitor the charging status of the car on the phone's app. After 2 hours of charging, the relay will disconnect and stop supplying power to the vehicle. This ensures that all students can use the charging station.

The solar panels of the station are installed on the roof sheet. Supporting the panels and the frame system are sustainable materials including box steel, and plastic sheet steel is installed on either side of the charging area. The charging station has a waiting area designed with trees and wooden chairs. The calculated cost for building the station is more than 182 million VND.

According to the research team, the Greensol charging station works on a simple principle. The solar panels absorb solar radiation and convert it to inverter DC, which is then converted into AC of the same phase, frequency and voltage to feed into the grid. If it is sunny enough, the electric energy from the sun will directly charge the car. If there is no sunlight, the system will automatically take electricity from the grid. Unused electricity will automatically connect to the grid.

Comparing with EVN's electricity bill calculation tool, the team found that this charging station system can save up to 13 million VND/month compared to normal grid charging for the corresponding number of electric vehicles. The system does not use batteries, so it does not cost a lot of initial investment as well as the cost of replacing batteries.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Hong Na at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, commented that the integration of solar panels into architectural works is the creation of the group. This is a reasonable architectural and technical solution, ensuring aesthetics and utility. The model has a moderate scale, simple technique and low cost, so it can be put into practice immediately.

Greensol is awarded third place in the NSEE Prize 2021. This is a competition to find green buildings for students of universities, colleges and students nationwide with majors in construction, materials, architecture. architecture, urban management, environment, and water supply and drainage...

Ha Tran

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solar energy

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