What makes grid modernization challenging?

       Bottlenecks in infrastructure and permitting are unavoidable during a building boom, but EV charging faces particularly unique challenges, especially when grid connectivity is considered. The reality is that permitting and approvals have become even more difficult over the last few decades, and while there are initiatives in place to reduce red tape, implementation still takes time.

　　Just last year, the Department of Energy announced a new initiative to help shorten the lengthy permitting and interconnection process, after discovering that the average project (including solar, energy storage, and wind development) can take nearly four years from the time it enters the interconnection queue to the time it is operational. However, change, like many government initiatives, takes time, and for interconnections, this can mean years, if not decades, of delay.

　　Another barrier to accommodating a new generation of power is that utilities are often slow to add new generating capacity because they require new transmission lines. Permitting approval and subsequent construction can frequently take decades. Furthermore, with the addition of EV chargers, customer sites may face dramatically higher bills due to demand charges, particularly if they have reached the maximum number of grid-connected chargers that the site's service capacity can handle but still have a desire for more. Furthermore, demand charges for facilities, businesses, or individuals looking to add EV chargers to their properties can quickly add up. Because the monthly demand fee for maintaining the electric utility's infrastructure can vary depending on how much energy is used during peak months, grid-connected EV charging stations can quickly become costly to use and maintain. Furthermore, according to McKinsey & Company, the process of upgrading infrastructure and meeting regulatory requirements can be time-consuming and costly.

　　What can be done to alleviate these pain points?

　　Off-grid EV chargers are an excellent solution to these problems for a variety of reasons. They can be installed quickly (sometimes in as little as a few hours); they are frequently less expensive; they reduce grid impacts from EV loads; and they can be more flexible than grid-tied EV chargers.

　　Off-grid charging solutions hold the key to meeting EV growth without the wait in the face of permitting and interconnection challenges.

　　More cost-effective:Users can avoid paying for grid power by generating solar electricity. This is especially important for businesses, as demand charges typically account for a large portion of electricity bills. Because solar energy is renewable, once the infrastructure is in place, it is free and relatively unlimited. The user has a lifetime commitment to pay for the energy with traditional, grid-connected chargers. On the other hand, solar-powered charging eliminates the need for users to pay for electricity.

　　Increased flexibility: Off-grid EV chargers can be installed anywhere, regardless of nearby grid connection capabilities, making them ideal for locations where connecting to the grid may be difficult, such as remote locations, sites with limited space, or businesses with temporary leases. When EV charging is offered, a local utility will often want a location to upgrade its energy services to ensure maximum needed energy to charge EVs. This can be expensive, time-intensive, and, quite frankly, isn't always necessary. Off-grid solutions can be used as an alternative to this time-consuming and costly initiative.

　　Exponential environmental benefits:Carbon emissions are eliminated when renewable energy sources are used to generate electricity, such as for an off-grid EV charger, which is a clear advantage over grid-tied EV charging. Grid-connected EV chargers frequently charge at night, which relies on energy derived from fossil fuels. An off-grid charger that stores solar energy during the day in a battery and then delivers it at night is ultraclean and uses 100% green power. Off-grid solutions make it easier to provide EV charging while lowering users' overall carbon footprint.

　　Resiliency and reliability:Off-grid chargers can continue to operate even if the local network is down because they are not connected to the utility grid. As public safety power shut-off (PSPS) events and outages due to grid constraints, fires, and other natural disasters become more common, having a reliable alternative power source becomes increasingly important in providing relief. Furthermore, these solutions are ideal for mission-critical applications such as emergency services, evacuation shelters, grocery stores, and hospitals, among others. Off-grid solutions also protect utility infrastructure from high demand loads, which can cause distribution networks and aging equipment to fail. Off-grid solutions should be viewed by utilities as an insurance policy in their efforts to modernize grid operations.

　　The ability of society to transition to cleaner energy solutions is critical to the energy revolution of the twenty-first century. It is expected that utilities will be slow to adopt renewable energy generation on a large scale, especially when permitting and connectivity are considered. Off-grid solutions avoid long wait times and eliminate cost and availability friction points, allowing the grid to modernize and transition to 21st century energy needs.