The PhARRE project gives electric car batteries a new lease of life
La Roche-sur-Yon / France
Experiment by SyDEV and Bouygues Energies & Services, in partnership with Renault and start-up BeeBryte
The PhARRE project (photovoltaic, self-supply, charging and power grid) is an exemplary local initiative headed by SyDEV, the public energy body for the Vendée département in western France, with the support of Bouygues Energies & Services. The aim is to trial new energy generation and storage possibilities, and potentially roll these solutions out in public buildings in the Vendée. PhARRE offers a response to three major ecological concerns for the coming years: reducing the impact of buildings’ energy consumption, storing green energy, and recycling or reusing electric vehicle (EV) batteries. What does it consist of? 200 m² of photovoltaic panels fitted on the roof of SyDEV’s head office providing 40,000 kWh a year, covering 15% of the building’s needs. A good way to reduce its carbon footprint while generating green energy. On top of that, to avoid losing the solar power surplus not used immediately and to keep it for use later on, this power is stored in used electric car batteries. These have lost 25% of their capacity and no longer meet the autonomy requirements of an electric vehicle, but can still be used as batteries for the building. A great example of the circular economy at work.
“Energy transition will transform our society and our economy for good. The aim of the Energies & Services division is to pave the way for the energy and digital transitions and turn them into opportunities for our customers, with innovative solutions at the heart of local regions. These solutions need to be tested locally. The PhaRRE project is a perfect illustration of this”
Pierre Vanstoflegatte
Managing Director of Bouygues Construction Energies & Services
“To respond to the challenges of energy transition, we need to consume less and better and include more renewable energies. Here we produce energy to be consumed locally. With this innovation, we are gaining experience to benefit public buildings in the region.”
Alain Leboeuf
President of SyDEV until September 2020.
Heading for green hydrogen?
900,000 tonnes of hydrogen are used each year to meet the needs of industry. 95% of this is produced from fossil fuels, which are responsible for emitting around 12 Mt of carbon dioxide in France, or around 3% of national emissions. A growing number of innovations are helping drive the shift towards green hydrogen. Bouygues Energies & Services and Bouygues Construction have invested in PowiDian, a start-up specialising in autonomous energy production using green hydrogen.
Key figures
200 m²
of photovoltaic panels
4 batteries
The surplus is stored in four Renault Kangoo ZE batteries
Further information
40,000 kWh of solar power generated per year
equivalent to four 80 m2 houses using electric heating
99%
of the power produced is used the same year and covers 15% of the building’s energy needs
Did you know?
Buildings account for 44% of the energy used in France