REN obtains European patent for electric charging through the Transmission Grid

REN has developed an innovative global solution that will soon allow electric vehicles to be charged through very high voltage electricity transmission networks (VHV). The charging of electric vehicles from VHV allows, in mainland Portugal, the setting up of a significant set of sites, such as electric vehicles supply service areas, without requiring the upgrade of the existing VHV grid, thus resulting in a competitive and efficient advantage in terms of costs and charging time, when compared to  traditional solutions for this type of service.

This solution transforms the energy transmitted in REN's Grid directly to Low Voltage (LV), enabling power supply to future locations where there will be high simultaneous charging needs, such as public transport fleets or companies with a high number of electric vehicles, in addition to other applications such as in forestry machine support or river boat transportation.

The project that is patent granted at European level with REN brand and has underway its extension to other geographies was developed by an internal team and is proof of REN's existing culture of innovation in the face of the challenges brought up by the transformations of the energy sector marked by the 3 D's: decarbonization, decentralization and digitalization.

The project is a relevant contribution to the country's energy transition process within the worldwide framework of significant decarbonisation of the economy: by strengthening the Portuguese electric mobility supply network along approximately 9000 km of very high voltage power lines, it represents a solution for Electric Mobility to enable the installation of charging points.