AppleCoRRE – Community Rapid & Renewable Energy Hub
Applecross is a grid-constrained, rural community with only single-phase power available. This energy barrier directly impacts the community; hindering business development, limiting locally generated energy exports, and restricting our Electric Vehicle (EV) charging capabilities.
This project looks to address this barrier through a feasibility study into an innovative Community Rapid & Renewable Energy Hub (AppleCoRRE Hub). This system aims to utilise inverter technology to convert/upscale constrained power supplies into usable power for rapid charge points and introduce this solution within a fully-functioning hub using local renewable energy generation.
This feasibility study will help realise the technical, environmental, and commercial opportunities for Applecross and other grid-constrained communities. This study will start May 2021 and is funded through the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme.
Background
In 2015 Applecross Community Company (ACC) developed a 90kW hydro scheme, Apple Juice (Hydro), of which 50kW is exported to the grid and remaining energy used locally.
In 2020, ACC undertook an initial investigation into the installation of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Applecross and its integration with the 90kW community hydro turbine scheme. The study was funded by Local Energy Scotland from the CARES Innovation Grant (Community And Renewable Energy Scheme), and Urban Foresight undertook the study.
The study was split into two Phases:
- Phase 1 Feasibility Study – Feasibility of installing EV charge point(s) in Applecross along with associated infrastructure and battery storage
- Phase 2 Detailed Design – Detailed Design for a “50kW Rapid + 7kW Fast charger with a battery storage unit with an onboard inverter converting single-phase to three-phase“
The AppleCoRRE 2021 project will build on this initial study.
