Project summary
A park and choose charging hub integrated with solar carports and battery storage, located next to the M9 on the outskirts of Stirling. It allows commuters, residents, and visitors to charge their electric vehicles.
Background
Castleview Low Carbon Transport Hub is a large charging hub located on Stirling’s northwestern edge. Opened in summer 2021, it’s the second project in FES Support Services’ A9 Electrification Scheme. The project received over £1 million in funding from Transport Scotland’s low carbon travel and transport challenge fund, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Before the works in this case study were carried out, the site already had one 50kW DC rapid charger and one 7kW AC chargepoint.
Rationale
Electric car drivers using the Castleview Low Carbon Transport Hub have easy access to Stirling city centre and the A9/M9. The site is part of the Electric A9, allowing drivers to top up their charge on long-distance journeys.
As a park and choose location, the hub has active travel and public transport links for drivers to complete their journeys into the city. Drivers can charge their vehicles over several hours, giving them plenty of time to spend in Stirling before they return to end their charge sessions.
Project overview
The components of the installation are:
- Three 50kW DC chargepoints.
- 20 7kW AC chargepoints.
- 132 car parking spaces.
- A 276.5kW photovoltaic (PV) solar carport array.
- A 446kWh battery storage system.
The solar carport array is made up of six solar canopies, which together house 864 Sunpower 320W solar modules. The solar canopies are expected to generate 210,000kWh annually. The hub’s solar energy is used to power on-site electric vehicle charging and street lighting.
The battery system is a Tesla Powerpack. Its 446kWh storage capacity equates to 30% of the energy produced on peak generation days.
Ambition
The project aims to encourage commuters, residents, and visitors to take advantage of low carbon and active travel opportunities. Like Stirling’s two other park and choose locations – Springkerse and Kincardine – Castleview offers free parking. This minimises costs for those traveling to Stirling city centre by bus or active travel.
The on-site AC chargepoints also offer drivers a discount of £0.10/kWh compared to other AC units in Stirling’s public charging infrastructure. This further incentivises drivers to shift parts of their journeys up the sustainable transport hierarchy.
Progress so far
Since the project was completed, the hub’s usage levels have remained steady, recording an average of 1,600 charges a month. Following the initial installation of the hardware, Stirling Council used Switched on Towns and Cities funding to install another rapid charger for buses and coach services.
Stirling is currently reviewing the project’s energy generation capacity. It aims to add to the project’s solar capacity by introducing ground-mounted solar panels. Following user feedback, the council is considering adding amenities such as picnic benches to the site.
Castleview is also a stop for Ember, a Scottish intercity electric bus operator. This helps to encourage people to make multi-modal low carbon journeys around the country.
Challenges faced
The project faced issues at the procurement stage, when responses to the initial invitation to tender came in over budget. Stirling recognised this was due to the tender lacking enough detail on the project specification, and revised and reissued it. Unfortunately, fluctuations in the price of steel meant the extra time taken to do this increased the overall cost of the project.
Key lessons learned
The Castleview Low Carbon Transport Hub showcases Stirling Council’s ambition to tackle the climate emergency and promote sustainable travel. The project has been a success, with Stirling now considering adding similar solar capacity and electric vehicle infrastructure at other sites.
The hub is a critical step towards achieving the Scottish Government’s plan to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2045.
Further information
Find out more about the Castleview Low Carbon Transport hub.
Learn more about the park and ride locations in Stirling.
Contact information
sustainability@stirling.gov.uk
