Spanish renewable energy firm ACCIONA Energia has inked a deal with IKEA to supply electric vehicle (EV) charging points for IKEA’s Spanish shopping centers. The renewable origin of the energy is traced using ACCIONA’s GREENCHAIN blockchain.
By the end of 2023, ACCIONA plans to install 475 stations, eventually reaching 567 slots. Around 30% of the stations are reserved for IKEA suppliers and its fleet.
Vehicle batteries can also store excess electricity, so the charging points are bidirectional. In other words, they can be used to top up the car’s charge, or the battery can provide energy to the charging station or even the grid.
Several groups are exploring this vehicle-to-grid integration, including using blockchain to track the process. This includes MOBI, the DLT mobility group, which has a working group focused on this topic. And Equigy, a consortium of major European electricity companies, is also working on using cars to store and source electricity.
Meanwhile, ACCIONA has been using blockchain for years. It worked with cleantech startup FlexiDAO to build the ACCIONA GreenChain blockchain, which is based on Energy Web’s technology. It extended it to trace green hydrogen as well.
Additionally, ACCIONA is involved in carbon credit projects that use blockchain. It partnered with ClimateTrade to provide Certified Emission Reduction (CER) certificates for green energy generated at its plants in South American emerging markets. It expanded that ClimateTrade relationship for a voluntary carbon credit trial with the Spanish stock exchange BME.
