Utrecht debuts solar powered car chargers

By Janene Pieters on June 10, 2015 - 12:12
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Opening of the so-called return stations in Lombok, Utrecht (Picture: Twitter/@JorisLaponder). Opening of the so-called return stations in Lombok, Utrecht (Picture: Twitter/@JorisLaponder)

Utrecht debuted a new type of charging stations on Tuesday - charging stations that can provide solar power for electric cars, or withdraw current from car batteries to provide power to nearby homes. 

For this project, network operator Steidng worked closely with the municipality and various companies. The first 20 of these so-called return stations have been put in use in the Lombok neighborhood.

The stations are connected to solar panels on homes, businesses and schools in the neighborhood. The energy collected by the solar panels is temporarily stored in car batteries and then withdrawn again if needed for power in homes, businesses and schools.

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