Worcestershire Wildlife Trust to lead EV charge after Siemens study

The Worcestershire Wildlife Trust is set to be the first of The Wildlife Trusts’ 46 federations to begin a strategic EV charging rollout following an extensive study completed by Siemens.

It comes as part of a wider acceleration of charging infrastructure rollout by the nature conservation charities, resulting from the survey, with the aim of meeting emissions goals and the needs of future visitors.

The site, near Worcester, expects to install 10 fast chargers by 2025, and another four by 2028 to meet the increased charging demand by 2,500 visitors annually.

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust is also planning to roll out solar PV panels at the site to support increased electricity demand from EV chargers. Siemens expects the site’s energy use will grow by as much as eight times to support visitors’ charging needs and has provided recommendations for renewable electricity generation to minimise the extra electricity needed from the grid.

Charging provision will support The Wildlife Trusts to improve green credentials and contribute to sustainability goals by enabling staff and visitors to use electric vehicles. This additional EV charging services will also increase the potential to attract more visitors to the site.

The charities currently manage 2,300 nature reserves across the UK. The Wildlife Trusts are reviewing plans to deploy charging technologies across these UK-wide sites following the study. The charities can make a significant impact on cleaner air and reduced noise with a positive effect on local wildlife, improvement in green credentials and contribution to sustainability goals.

Rachel Hall, Climate and Nature-Based Solutions Officer, at The Wildlife Trusts, said: “We recognise our responsibility as major landowners and energy users to make an authentic contribution to tackling the climate emergency. This includes transforming our estates to accommodate the electric charging needs of our fleet and commuting staff as demand increases.

“Deploying EV charging technology represents an important enabler towards achieving our overall purpose of providing meaningful action for nature and climate. But it will also futureproof us – local people love visiting our wild places and these are also major visitor attractions. Charging availability is likely to influence where many people choose to spend their time in the coming years and beyond.

“This transformation is the result of a huge body of work. We’re extremely grateful that Siemens has given us a clearly defined plan of what our organisation needs to do to deliver our ambitious vision.”

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Siemens donated the extensive feasibility study to The Wildlife Trusts, with consultants deployed to analyse sites with different infrastructure and needs.

Experts in energy transition, mobility and transportation detailed the pathway for sustainable transformation to benefit the Trusts, when restrictions during the pandemic stopped its colleagues from volunteering on-the-ground at Wildlife Trust nature reserves around the UK. The work was conducted under Siemens commitment to its long-term partnership with the charity.

The Wildlife Trusts supplied Siemens with information about their car parks, site visitor numbers, visitor dwell time, and their locations’ existing electricity usage. Siemens provided guidance to help Wildlife Trusts to forecast EV charging demand and understand the number of charging points that might be needed.

The guidance also recommended the necessary charging times of EV charge points and the size of solar PV installations required to help individual Wildlife Trusts meet their goals.

The assessment further advised on requirements to balance the load of electricity taken from the grid against what is generated on site, cabling capacity, roof suitability for solar PV installations, considerations for contractors, and any unforeseen costs such as connection upgrades. In addition, the report provided a guide for the next steps and potential financing and funding options to deliver this transformation.

Joy Aloor, Head of Siemens’ PTI consulting & energy business advisory, said: “UK organisations are looking to accelerate plans to rollout EV charging infrastructure to meet emissions targets and to support colleagues, customers and other visitors as more motorists go electric.

“However, organisations the size of The Wildlife Trusts can rarely take a plug and play approach to EV charging implementation. Getting the right energy tariff, installing cabling, balancing energy loads, securing financing and forecasting demand represents only a few of the considerations for owners of large estates.

“As part of our broader work together, we are proud to support The Wildlife Trusts in navigating the energy requirements for its EV charging rollout and delighted to see this strategic vision is now taking shape.”

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