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Powerdot invests in electric charging stations at retail parks
– Electric cars charged at our stations are completely emission-free, i.e. they do not emit harmful substances while driving, and the electricity that powers them comes exclusively from renewable sources – assures Grigoriy Grigoriev, general director of Powerdot in Poland.
The Polish market is becoming more and more "green"
Users of electric cars in Poland who want their cars to be powered by green energy have an increasing choice of devices powered by electricity from renewable energy sources.
– Our estimates show that at least 40% of charging stations in Poland, owned by various operators, are already based on green energy. We can safely assume that this year, every second station operating in our country will be powered by electricity from renewable energy sources, says Grigoriy Grigoriev.
Powerdot based its estimates on publicly available information about energy sources used by the largest charging service providers (according to PSNM data at the end of 2023).
– In practice, the share of this type of facilities in the entire market may be higher than 40% due to, among others, for the presence of charging stations in ecological office buildings and hotels, which we did not include in our simulation – emphasizes the head of Powerdot.
100% energy from renewable energy sources
The energy supplier for Powerdot's charging stations is Hekla Energy, which operates over 500 MW of "green" generating capacity. The electricity sold by Hekla is generated 100% from renewable sources and comes from a mix of solar and wind energy, supplemented with energy from biogas and hydroelectric power plants.
– The purity of the energy that reached customers through us is evidenced by the document "Fuel Structure", the publication of which is the responsibility of licensed energy trading entities. Additionally, we provide the so-called guarantees of origin of energy from renewable energy sources, which are the only proof of energy origin recognized by the Energy Regulatory Office. The guarantees cover electricity generated in a specific installation used to produce renewable energy sources, says Gracjan Grela, president of Hekla.
An effective model
The cooperation between Powerdot and Hekla not only ensures that car charging is fully ecological, but also a very effective model for purchasing electricity by the owner and operator of the charging station. It allows Powerdot to purchase only the amount of energy that was actually used by customers charging electric cars without unnecessary losses. This is especially important in the initial years of operation of a new operator, when the daily electricity consumption at its stations may fluctuate.
Only 36 hours of free energy on the exchange
According to Grigory Grigoriev, using green energy is not an obvious choice in Poland, as it may expose charging station operators to additional costs. As a result, not every station owner is ready to focus on ecology.
– In Poland, compared to other European countries where Powerdot operates, access to cheap energy from renewable energy sources is very limited – explains Grigoriev.
This rule is illustrated by the number of hours with zero or negative, the so-called the spot price of 1 MWH on the local energy exchange. Powerdot estimates show that while in countries such as Spain or Portugal, from January to May this year. there were approximately 480 hours of "free" energy, in Poland free electricity was available on the stock exchange for only 36 hours. For comparison, in France it was 225 hours and in Belgium – 142 hours.
The number of stations with high power is increasing
Powerdot has already launched over 670 charging points for electric cars in Poland. The investor specializes in high-power connectors (530 DC connectors), cooperating with Biedronka, as well as franchisees of such brands as Intermarche, E.Leclerc, Brico and Auchan. It also builds stations at Decathlon stores. It also invests in shopping malls and retail parks, and enables owners of traditional gas stations to start their adventure with electromobility. Powerdot also created a network of city stations for Gorzów Wielkopolski. The company operates in the "destination charging" model, i.e. it invests in places where owners of electric cars can charge them during everyday activities, such as shopping, playing sports or dealing with official matters. The company has Portuguese roots, but operates in various EU countries.
