Solar + EV works on both smaller and larger scales. An EV + PV set up that combines 50 kW of solar with 15 EV charging stations on the campus of Western Michigan University falls into the latter category.

Located in a parking lot across from the university’s James W. Miller Auditorium, this solar-charged EV set-up has 216 MAGE SOLAR panels mounted onto 18 tracking poles. Each of the individual arrays can be adjusted individually within a range from vertical to 80 degrees.

The system was designed, furnished and installed by The Green Panel, Inc., a Michigan based turn-key integrator that provides renewable energy solutions for Fortune 500 companies, universities, and municipalities. The company’s team also customized inverter and charging station monitoring systems that will give real-time access to the system’s performance data.

“The innovation, vision, and execution of this installation are impressive,” said Joe Thomas, President and CEO of MAGE SOLAR USA. “We congratulate both Western Michigan University and The Green Panel, Inc. on this major accomplishment that speaks highly of the sustainability goals the school has. WMU’s commitment to renewable energy shows that solar and EV charging stations are the fuel source of the future.”

“The design-build project was particularly exciting for our engineering, installation and procurement team. The combined monitoring of the electric charging stations and solar array will be a useful resource for students and faculty at Western  Michigan University” according to Binger Winchell and Agnes Pelosse at The Green Panel, Inc.

The project was funded by a grant from the Department of Energy and administered by the Clean Energy Coalition of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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