Energetica India Magazine -October 2020

Barefoot College, SUN Foundation Partner under Climate Change Initiative; Create Youth Charter at ISA ABB to Provide its New 11 kW V2G Charging Technology to France’s DREEV Barefoot College International (BCI) an- nounced an innovative new partnership with SUN Foundation, a student-led so- cial enterprise, with an aim to combat global threat of climate change by in- volving students from low resource com- munities. This youth-centric partnership was aimed to increase the awareness amongst youth on climate change issues, whilst simultaneously providing renewable en- ergy solutions to ensure the continued education of students in last-mile com- munities in the global south, via Barefoot College International’s grassroots Edu- cation program. This program has educated over 75,000 children and trained 14,000 rural teach- ers till date. It will be facilitated directly by the new partnership between both BCI and SUN Foundation, which con- ducted ‘Solar Clinics’ and spread aware- ness about building ‘Green Curriculum’ among over 2,000 kids and assisted 8 schools in becoming completely solar electrified. In addition to its focus on the continued education of children in last-mile com- munities, the partnership will also lead to the creation of a unique Youth Charter at the International Solar Alliance (ISA) committed to supporting the partnership and aims to reach 1 million youth through sensitization and access to solar energy. The initiative was launched recently at an event moderated by Siddhant Sinha, a Forbes Teenpreneur and founder of SUN Foundation, with the Director Gen- eral of ISA UpendraTripathy in the pres- ence of ISA member countries, policy- makers from countries where Barefoot has created access to renewable ener- gy solutions, and educators promoting rural-based education. While moderating the event, Siddhant Sinha, Founder, SUN Foundation, said “by providing a hands on pedagogy approach to the youth about sustainabil- ity, we hope more and more youngsters take an active interest in mitigating the biggest crisis we will ever face, climate change.” On partnership, Meagan Fallone, Di- rector and Advisor, Barefoot College In- ternational said, “we work every day to ensure that last-mile communities have access to the renewable energy solu- tions, teachers and classrooms to ensure their continued access to education. Our partnership with SUN Foundation will al- low us to continue this work, whilst en- abling us to work directly with an entire generation, through ISA, to create solu- tions that will make a difference in our fight against this climate emergency. “We work with governments to improve energy access and security around the world and promote solar power as a sustainable way to transition to a carbon neutral future. We have increased ac- cess to solar training, data and insights for solar engineers and energy policy- makers. Our partnership with the Bare- foot College International is participating to this work,” said UpendraTripathy, Di- rector General, ISA. 27 energetica INDIA- October_2020 Switzerland-headquartered technology major ABB will supply its bi-directional charging technology to a Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G) partnership project of France’s DREEV. France’s DREEV is a joint venture be- tween Électricité de France (EDF) and Nuvve, which specializes in intelligent charging for electric vehicles (EVs). As part of a contract, ABB will supply its brand-new 11 kW bi-directional charging technology, specially designed for V2G. Now, ABB’s solution integrated with DREEV software technology will enable EV drivers to export surplus power back to the grid. With potential to generate up to 20€/EV/month, V2G thereby reduces the total cost of ownership and further boosts the adoption of EVs. Also, Bi-di- rectional chargers will help smooth the flow of uneven generation of electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind. Commenting on the development, Frank Muehlon, Head of ABB’s global business for E-mobility Infrastructure Solutions said, “ABB is a global market leader in fast charging solutions. We are delight- ed to have the opportunity to support DREEV in its mission to actively partic- ipate in making the grid more resilient with V2G technology. Our cooperation with DREEV is one of the leading efforts worldwide to deploy real V2G technolo- gy to the field.” Under the deal, ABB will supply V2G bi-directional kiosks in France, followed by installations in the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and Germany. “The development of this intelligent bi-di- rectional charging solution will be key in enabling the next step in the evolution of our e-mobility ecosystem and represents a key milestone in ABB’s sustainability strateg,” Muehlon added. NEWS ENERGY UPDATES