Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) expects robust growth for its budding electric vehicle charging business, as it makes headway into overseas markets.
The charging stations are expected to debut in the US in the first quarter of next year and are to be available worldwide by April, Delta chief executive officer Cheng Ping (鄭平) told a news conference at Computex Taipei.
Sales of electric vehicle charging equipment, which totaled about US$300 million last year, are expected to rise 50 percent by the end of this year, Cheng said.
At the trade show, the company showcased its vision of a smarter, greener and more energy-efficient future, with a booth that resembled a concept charging station that uses the firm’s energy infrastructure, energy storage and building automation solutions.
Cheng, who came up with the charging station concept, said that technological advancements have left little room for improvements in energy efficiency in individual products, so the company is instead targeting energy systems at the building and microgrid levels.
Delta has developed stations that are microgrid-compatible and capable of transferring power both ways, which enables the next generation of energy grids to take advantage of the power held in parked electric vehicles to cope with demand during peak periods.
Delta’s power conditioning system and containerized battery storage systems round out the station’s vehicle-to-grid connection that lets car owners sell power back to the grid.
Most notably, the firm’s containerized battery storage systems, which are up to 40m long, are designed to better balance the electrical grid and renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind farms.
Energy generated by renewable sources is inconsistent in quality and quantity, and could destabilize the electrical grid, said James Chen (陳錦明), vice president of Delta’s energy storage device department.
As the grid becomes more diverse, energy storage and power conditioning must also be improved to prevent power outages, he said.
While Taiwan produces enough energy, the problem lies in its outdated power grid that is unable to cope with peak demand, Chen said, referring to the power outages on Wednesday last week.
The company’s containerized batteries and power conditioning system have been deployed at a 4.6 megawatt power plant in Ako, Japan, and at a Taiwan Power Co (台電) research center in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林).
The company’s sales in the first four months rose 4 percent annually to NT$69.14 billion (US$2.32 billion), it said.
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