14 DAY TRIAL // Environmentalists have for some time now been complaining that owning and driving an electric car does not really help curb pollution if the power that one relies on to keep such a vehicle up and running comes from exploiting dirty sources.
The good news is that technology and clean energy giants appear to agree with them, hence the fact that, as of recently, electric car charging stations that run on renewables are steadily gaining popularity.
Not to beat about the bush, news from Japan says that a solar-powered charging station for eco-friendly cars has recently been installed in the country's Aichi Prefecture in the the Chūbu region.
Green Car Congress informs that the charging station in question was set in place by Kyoto-based multinational electronics and ceramics manufacturer Kyocera Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiary Kyocera Communication Systems Co., Ltd.
The station was installed at the headquarters of Shintec Hozumi Co., Ltd., and it employs high-performance solar modules developed and marketed by Kyocera Corporation itself, the same source informs.
Interestingly enough, the company says that, when it first rolled out such solar-powered charging stations back in 2010, the facilities were intended to serve electric-assisted bicycles alone. It was only in 2012 that Kyocera Corporation started offering charging stations for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The charging station at the headquarters of Shintec Hozumi Co., Ltd. in Japan's Aichi Prefecture draws its power from a 230kW solar power generating system that sits on the building's rooftop. This energy is then fed into cars that pay the station a visit, and makes it possible for company employees to travel to and from work in an environmentally friendly way.
In a press release on the matter at hand, Kyocera Corporation explains that, apart from being able to help Shintex Hozumi Co., Ltd. further improve on its ecological footprint, the solar-powered charging station for electric vehicles can also come in handy in case of emergency.
This is because whatever clean energy cars get from this station can be returned to the company's headquarters should circumstances demand for it. According to Kyocera Corporation, this means that the station not only promotes the use of renewables, but also has the potential to support disaster relief.
“Based on a development plan by Shintec Hozumi, KCCS [Kyocera Communication Systems Co., Ltd.] designed and constructed the system so that solar-generated power charged to electric vehicles can be utilized in times of disaster as backup energy, contributing both to the efficient use of clean energy and disaster prevention,” the company explains.