NEW YORK -- Deploying Green Charge Networks (GCN) energy storage solutions, 7-Eleven Inc. is the first retailer to offer fast-charging services for drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) in the New York City area.
7-Eleven and GCN worked with the U.S. Department of Energy and several large utility companies to leverage local solar generation and energy storage, which enables the use of high-powered electric equipment, including EV fast chargers. This avoids extreme consumption peaks that lead to expensive electricity-demand charges for commercial-rate payers.
Green Charge Networks’ energy storage system, GreenStation, manages the power consumption at the 5820 Francis Lewis Blvd. 7-Eleven location in Flushing, N.Y. It monitors the store’s load on a second-by-second basis and counteracts peaks and valleys by discharging and charging from an internal ion battery bank.
“Even when the New York City electric grid experienced an all-time peak on July 19 during the recent heat wave, the GreenStation allowed for EV fast charging while reducing peak demand by 56%,” said Vic Shao, Green Charge Networks’ CEO.
“Convenience retailing in today’s world increasingly requires the use of high-powered electrical devices, including foodservice equipment and EV fast chargers,” said Tom Brennan, 7-Eleven’s vice president of infrastructure services. “Meeting our customers changing needs while keeping demand charges and thus our electricity costs in check is a very attractive value proposition for us.”
The GreenStation empowers industrial- and commercial-rate payers to manage power consumption and rising demand charges. The energy-storage product is easy to install, maintenance free and economical. The root technology is a stochastic controller with sophisticated software that flattens the power load curve during peak consumption periods, with positive financial implications for the customer and electricity utility.
7-Eleven Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience-retailing industry. Based in Dallas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 10,100 7-Eleven stores in North America.
Green Charge Networks, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based leader in power efficiency, specializes in energy storage solutions that enable the usage of high-powered electrical equipment without causing extreme consumption peaks.
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