GREEN ANGEL SYNDICATE
  • Blog
  • HOME

GREEN ANGEL BLOG​

Smart Investments.
Sustainable Change

The Barriers to Solar Powered EV Charging

10/5/2017

 
Picture
​In a small and ancient town among the hills of the Oeste coastal region of Portugal, a simple ceremony took place almost two years ago.  It was to launch a simple idea, simple but new.  Although the eyes of the world have rarely reached the delightfully named Arruda dos Vinhos, this event marked an innovation that will come to all of us in time.  The question for entrepreneurs and investors is, how much time.  The innovation?  Why, no more than the use of solar energy for charging electric vehicles.
This event marked the experimentation of a European partnership that had been working to develop ideas for the promotion of EV usage for three years.  It sounds so obvious.  But the lack of coordination, of commercial application, of entrepreneurial engagement, of understanding how to meet the challenges of EV charging have all prevented the logical and rational development of what should be a standardised system.  The cruel truth is that EV charging is not good business.

Perhaps there is a related question.  Should EV charging be a commercial enterprise, or should it be a public utility, delivered and paid for through tax payers’ money?  This could be debated in a variety of different ways, and I imagine the different groups of people with an interest in the subject coming to different conclusions.  The car makers would want it to be private, because their interests are not served by creating an artificial advantage for EV’s in competition with their core internal combustion based business.  The car drivers, of course, would want the reverse.  Anything which mitigated against the high cost of the vehicles in the first place would mean the payback period was shorter.  The energy companies would possibly be neutral.  If the user is not paying them for the energy, the tax payer would.  They get their money either way.

But what if the energy is solar?  Which brings us back to the leafy hills around Arruda, and the experiment with solar energy charge points.  As the sun beat down on the small crowd, we were watching something ancient being transformed to a modern application.  The sun has provided a resource to the inhabitants of Arruda for centuries.  The sun has fed the crops on which the local economy has always depended.  The sun has provided warmth and heat for their lives.  The clement conditions of the place led to the foundation of the town in this valley in the first place.  So why not use the sun to provide something new that it so easily can?  After all, it’s free.
Should EV charging be a commercial enterprise, or should it be a public utility, delivered and paid for through tax payers’ money?
And perhaps that is the biggest barrier to investment in solar powered charge points.  In a capitalist economy, where market sectors are controlled by business interests, there is a danger that there is not enough money in a free resource.  If we take this argument and apply it to solar and wind farms, indeed all renewable energy, we are forced to study the precise economics of these businesses.  The first point to note is that all have been dependent on public subsidy.  It is still a moot point whether or not they are commercially viable without it.

If you are planning on attending All Energy 2017
 and would like to meet with the Green Angel Syndicate, contact Nick Lyth directly on 07802150053  email nick@greenangelsyndicate.com or Tweet @NickLyth1

Comments are closed.

    Newsletter

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Categories

    All
    Analysis
    Biodiversity
    Circular Economy
    Clean Transportation
    Climate Change
    Comment
    Company News
    Electric Bikes
    Electric Vehicles
    Energy
    Energy Storage
    Entrepreneurs
    GAS Press Release
    Green Investments
    Investment Updates
    Investor Profiles
    Investors
    IoT
    Mobility-as-a-service
    Pitch Event
    Plastics
    Product As A Service
    Recruitment
    Renewable Energy
    Retail Consumerism
    Video

    Events
    View a calendar of industry events.
    VIEW ALL

INFO

Investors
Entrepreneurs
Our Portfolio

ABOUT

About
Contact

Privacy

Tweets by GAS_Investments
Picture
Members of UKBAA

SMART INVESTMENTS. SUSTAINABLE CHANGE.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The content of this webpage should not be construed as financial advice. Any decision to invest should be made only on the basis of the relevant documentation for each investment. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The value of an investment may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested. Investments in small unquoted companies carry an above-average level of risk. These investments are highly illiquid and as such, there may not be a readily available market to sell such an investment. Green Angel Syndicate does not provide specific individual advice on the suitability of investments with regard to a potential investor's individual circumstances, risk tolerance or investment objectives and investors should seek independent financial advice if they are in any doubt whether a product is suitable for them. Please Click Here to see the full Risk Warning.

© Green Angel Syndicate, 29 Shand Street, London, SE1 2ES 2017.
  • Blog
  • HOME