WSP’s team in Scotland worked closely with Falkirk Council at the start of the new Electric A9 route, which seeks to provide a regular series of charge points along the main northern corridor of Scotland.
Scotland’s second largest electric vehicle (EV) charging hub aims to create a 24/7/365 accessible EV facility in one of the country’s most important economic areas.
The Charging facility opened to the public at 10 am on 31st March 2020. The figures below were taken on 31st March 2021:
- Energy generated by the solar canopy: 240,000 kWh
- Energy used by customers: 205,949 kWh
- Customer visits: 11,209
In addition to developing the EV charging hub, a key element of the project was to invest in low carbon transport and connectivity, which has been delivered alongside other active travel methods, including electric bikes and improved cycling facilities. The Scottish government aims for a 42 per cent reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2045.
The EV station will generate over 30 per cent of the required electricity through its solar canopy. This renewable energy is stored in batteries which will be used to charge vehicles and, if needed, support the energy network.
The stadium remained fully functional throughout construction. Due to increased footfall during match days, no work took place, which required prior planning around events. During construction, WSP had to devise an alternative to mobile cranes being used because of a high voltage power line which passed over the site. A telehandler and MEWP’s were used as an alternative to lift the canopies into place.
The site boundary was the existing car park which was to be reconstructed. As a result, there was little storage room on site. The team had to carefully plan when and where the materials would arrive to maximise space and productivity. Strong winds during construction had an impact on safety when installing the canopy roof, solar panels and steel columns which in turn delayed the contractor.
Julia Gilles, Regional Director Scotland & Ireland, said: “The location of these 26 charging bays will provide much needed facilities for locals, stadium users, tourists visiting the world-famous Kelpies, Helix Park or Falkirk Wheel and drivers from the M9. Including stadium users. It is a pleasure to deliver the first of many A9 Electric projects along the A9 corridor (also know as the spine of Scotland) and supporting the governments ambition to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2032.”
Working in partnership with Falkirk Council, we applied our Future Ready approach to ensure we delivered a resilient facility for future generations. Assessing trends, we forecast the adoption of electric vehicles in the coming years and increased rainfall in our design as a side effect of climate change.
We anticipated using solar-generated energy from photovoltaic (PV) canopies to power a significant proportion of vehicles to reduce the demand on the already stressed national grid. A digital display on the battery store exterior allows the public to see how much CO2 has been saved and the amount of energy generated. We hope the creation of an extensive charging hub will accelerate the electric uptake of electric vehicles and improve air quality.