Project Case Study: The GEPY project, a Microgrid demonstrator - Eaton
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Project Case Study: Market Served: The GEPY project, a Microgrid demonstrator Buildings
Contents
Introduction 3
Section 1. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), policy and context 4
Section 2: Origins and objectives of the project 6
Section 3: Presentation of project and solution 8
Section 4: Results and feedback 15
Section 5: Conclusion and outlook 23
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 2
Introduction
La Poste, the well-known French postal service company, is trialling the use of
solar-powered vehicles to deliver mail to homes in the Yvelines department of France,
which lies to the south-west of Paris in the Île-de-France region. Born out of a local
initiative in 2017, the GEPY project (Gestion électricité postale Yvelines), led by La
Poste in partnership with Engie and Eaton, builds on synergies between existing
technical solutions. Combining photovoltaic (PV) energy production, energy storage,
electric vehicles charging facilities, and power supply to a building, this is proving to
be an effective demonstration of how these technologies work together, more than a
year after it was commissioned. It emphasizes the commitment made by La Poste and
its partners to energy transition and paves the way for new opportunities for the Group.
Everything as a Grid is our approach to
helping partners across the world embrace
energy transition, on their terms. Today,
energy flows through the grid in more
directions and through more devices than
ever before. And although that decentraliza-
tion creates more complexities and
challenges, it also creates new potential.
By viewing Everything as a Grid, we’re
simplifying those complexities, meeting
those challenges and reinventing the ways
power is distributed, stored and consumed.
The future is one of low-carbon, renewable
power. The future is Everything as a Grid.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 3
Corporate social responsibility
(CSR), policy and context
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 4
1. CSR, policy and context
1.1. – La Poste’s commitment to CSR
In its 500-year history La Poste has undergone major phases of transition and for more than 15
years the Group has been successfully pursuing an ambitious policy of reducing its environmen-
tal footprint. This is thanks, amongst other things, to the establishment of the world’s first fleet of electric
vehicles (EVs), consisting of 37,000 EVs including 7,000 cars; the efforts of nearly 80,000 eco-driving post-
al workers; and the development of optimized mail and parcel loading methods. La Poste’s Mail and Parcel
Services Branch (Branche Services Courrier Colis, BSCC) managed to reduce its CO2 emissions by
24 % between 2013 and 2019. Since 2016, its 10,000 buildings have undergone measures to improve
energy performance and are powered by renewable electricity, 196 of them being ISO 50 001-certified.
1.2. – The zero emissions target
La Poste has been completely carbon neutral since 2012, ensuring that all of the residual
carbon emissions generated by its activities are offset by carbon reduction and sequestration
projects in France and around the world. Moreover, La Poste has already committed to reducing its CO2
emissions by 30 % by 2025.
1.3. – The carbon fund
In addition to the measures it is taking to offset its carbon emissions, La Poste is developing
projects in-house, based on proposals submitted by its employees. The carbon fund of the BSCC,
launched in 2017 by its Directorate of Social and Environmental Responsibility (DRSE), funds projects
to reduce CO2 emissions. Energy for buildings, transportation, distribution, innovation: dozens of
award-winning projects each year show that saving CO2 can be cost-effective.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 5
Origins and objectives of the project
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 6
2. Origins and objectives of the project
2.1. – Origins of the project: Carbon Fund
The GEPY project was selected and funded under the ‘2017 Carbon Fund’
Challenge of the La Poste Group’s BSCC branch for its innovative and
experimental nature. A call for projects was launched as part of the process and
17 competitors responded, including Engie and Eaton, who were ultimately
selected. Despite the project’s strong case and promising outlook, its sponsors
could not be certain that it would be successful and took a risk by funding it. But
it was already apparent that the demonstrator could open up new opportunities
for La Poste in terms of generating ‘clean’ electricity to reduce the energy bill of
electric vehicles, and leveraging energy self-generation and electricity storage
technologies.
2.2. – The objective of the project
The GEPY demonstrator tests a PV shade structure on the car park of the mail services platform site at
Magny les Hameaux in the Yvelines. This infrastructure shelters vehicles when it is raining or hot and generates
electricity mainly to supply electric vehicles, but also to supply the building, according to the time of day and the
demand for electricity. La Poste’s request was very clear: the aim of the project was to produce electricity to supply
the two electric vehicles on the site with locally produced PV electricity to limit the impact of vehicle charging on
the public electricity grid.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 7
Presentation of project
and solution
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 8
3. Presentation of project and solution
3.1. – Overview of the project
The GEPY project is designed to work as a microgrid.
The energy produced on site by the PV panels installed
on the roof of the shade structures is consumed on site in
order to supply power to the electric vehicles and the
building. La Poste has opted for a total self-consumption
approach, which means that all of the energy produced on site
by the solar panels is consumed directly without being fed back
to the public electricity grid. This pragmatic choice by La Poste
made it possible to build the installation into the site without
having to modify the electricity supply contracts.
The PV panels on the roof of the shade structure
3.2. – Retaining current practices and operations
Nevertheless, one significant constraint had to be overcome. PV panels produce electricity during the day,
when the sun is out. This is the time when the vehicles are on the move and cannot be charged, or only partially.
Therefore it was necessary to find a way to store the electricity produced by the PV panels during the day, and sup-
ply it at night when the vehicles were parked up. Should additional electricity be required, mainly as a result of power
only being generated intermittently by the PV panels, then that extra power must come from the public electricity
grid. For the installation to operate properly, a system based on an intelligent algorithm was required to manage the
flows, and control the installation, without the need for human intervention.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 9
3.3. – The technical solutions selected
To get round this constraint, the project managers decided to build
in an electricity storage solution to store the energy produced by day
and then feed it back as soon as the vehicles returned. The xStorage
Home system developed by Eaton, in addition to meeting this objective
of desynchronization between consumption and production, presents an
exciting feature for La Poste. The batteries in the energy storage sys-
tem are second-life batteries from Nissan LEAF electric vehicles, so this
solution allows battery modules to be reused, rather than manufactured,
The energy storage system Eaton xStorage
promoting recycling and the circular economy. These batteries, which are Home includes second-life batteries
too derated for automotive use, are fully adequate for stationary storage from Nissan LEAF electric vehicles
applications and cheaper than new batteries.
3.4 – Technical data and detailed operation
of the installation
The installation occupies an area of two parking spaces, i.e. 25 m².
It is composed of a PV generator made up of 15 panels, for a production
of 4.5 kWc (kilowatt-crête or kilowatts created), which is equivalent to
4.5 kWp (kilowatts peak), if delivered under optimum conditions. This solar
generator is located on the roof of the shade structures. The storage unit,
installed in the bicycle room, consists of a hybrid inverter and a second-life
battery pack with a nominal capacity of 4.2 kWh. The unit is controlled by
software built into the Eaton xStorage Home system, which automatically
manages the distribution of energy flows between PV production, power
demand from the vehicles and the building, and the storage or recovery of
the surplus.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 10Figure 1: 1 Energy management system
GEPY Project installation potentially accessible by the
Cloud. The system is accessible
by the intranet at La Poste
2 Photovoltaic panels
3 Eaton xStorage Home
4 Building
5 Electric vehicles chargers
6 Photovoltaic production (PV)
7 Stored energy from the battery
8 Peak hours / Off-peak hours
arbitrage
9 Electricity grid supply
DC AC
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 11The electricity produced by the solar panels is either stored in the battery as direct
current or transformed by the inverter into an alternating current to meet the demands of
the electric vehicles or the building. In winter, the system can also make some trade-offs,
recharging the battery on the public electricity grid during off-peak hours and recovering
stored electricity during peak times to minimize the impact on the public grid and reduce
the energy bill.
When one or both electric vehicles are connected, they are powered by electricity from the PV
panels. If the vehicles are in use, the electricity generated by the panels supplies power to the
battery, which stores the electricity until the vehicles return. In the late afternoon or evening,
when the vehicles come back to their parking space under the shade structure, they are
supplied as a priority by the battery, which recovers the energy that was produced by the
panels and stored during the day. When the battery and vehicles are charged, the excess ener-
gy produced by the PV supplies the building.
The software built into the xStorage Home system via an embedded user interface, automatically
manages power flows, optimizes system operation and delivers reports. It is hosted on a
secure Cloud and can be connected to the La Poste intranet in the future in order to better
monitor how the installation is operating. The software allows flow to be displayed in real-time,
with the ability to access data on electricity production or self-consumption over a day and over
the previous month. The installation monitoring data also include a calculation of consumption.
This software is open and interoperable with third-party solutions and includes energy flows,
operating states and visualization of the installation. Its latest version can be operated on a
tablet or smartphone.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 12Figure 2A:
The energy flows in the Eaton xStorage
Home user interface during the day
Day 2019-08-14
4000 100% 1
3000
80%
2
2000
60%
1000 3
40%
0
Watt (W)
-1000 20% 4
-2000 0%
0 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00
time
1 Battery state of charge in the When the vehicles are in use, the battery stores the
Eaton xStorage Home (%)
electricity produced by the solar panels. If the battery
2 Power supply for the electric
is fully charged, the photovoltaic electricity is injected
vehicle charging stations (W)
to the building, reducing the site consumption of the
3 Photovoltaic production (PV)
electricity coming from the grid.
4 Injection or consumption of the
electricity in the building
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 13Figure 2B:
The energy flows in the Eaton xStorage
Home user interface in the late afternoon
Day 2019-08-14
1 4000 100%
3000
80%
2
2000
60%
3
1000
40%
0
Watt (W)
4
-1000 20%
-2000 0%
0 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00
time
1 Battery state of charge in the In the late afternoon, the vehicles come back to their
Eaton xStorage Home (%)
parking space and recharge using the energy produced
2 Power supply for the electric
by the panels and stored during the day. The EVs are
vehicle charging stations (W)
charged using renewable energy locally produced
3 Photovoltaic production (PV)
instead of using electricity from the grid at peak time.
4 Injection or consumption of the
electricity in the building
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 14Results and feedback
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 154. Results and feedback
4.1. – The results, after one year
The system allows for several measuring points and monitoring indicators related to:
• PV production
• Activity at the EV chargers due to electric vehicle charging demands
• The volume of PV electricity fed back either to the EV chargers or the building, and the
electricity demanded from the public grid
• The battery level following charging and discharging operations.
In service since February 6, 2019, this demonstrator has provided an average of almost 60% of the power
supply to the two electric vehicles on the site. More than a year after it was commissioned, the entire system is
operating as anticipated. The adjustments made, and the maintenance measures carried out on site, have made
it possible to optimize the operation of this demonstrator and to increase knowledge of this system.
Electric vehicles are powered either directly by the electricity produced by the PV panels, by the energy stored
in the battery, or by the grid in the event that output is low. During this period, there has been no problem with
charging the vehicles, nor any power failure. Despite its modest size, the GEPY demonstrator has achieved
satisfying results. The electricity demands of the two electric vehicles were covered at a minimum of 50%
between February and October, reaching highs of 75 % in April and May and 80% from June until September.
The GEPY system has enabled the integration of electric vehicles without increasing the site consumption of the
electricity coming from the grid.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 16Chart 1:
Electricity consumption in kWh
16.000
14.000
12.000
10.000
8.000
6.000
4.000
2018
2.000
2019
kWh
2020
0
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
month
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 172018 2019 2020
January 12,020 12,520 12,791
February 10,505 11,528 7,075
March 9,284 7,228 8,907
April 7,344 6,063 5,522
May 4,122 4,032 2,376
June 3,165 2,829 2,393
July 2,880 2,310
August 2,795 2,475
September 2,247 2,231
October 3,957 3,146
November 6,345 7,654
December 9,931 11,027
Chart:
Total 74,595 66,783 39,064
Electricity consumption in kWh
With an average of 59 % of the demands of the two versus electricity produced by the grid, which is nearly
electric vehicles covered over the observation year, this 30 kg. The 4493.5 kWh PV production of the shade
represents 4844.1 km traveled by PV electricity over a structures was 100% self-consumed on site, 40 % being
total of 8760.3 km and a saving of 1.52 tons of CO2 used for vehicles and 60 % being used for the building.
compared to a diesel vehicle. To this should be added The electricity fed back to the building partly powers
the carbon footprint of electricity that is produced locally e-bikes and e-scooters at the Magny Les Hameaux site.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 18Chart 2:
Photovoltaic charging performance of the electric vehicles per month
Local photovoltaic Photovoltaic power supply of
Photovoltaic power supply (PV) of the two electric vehicles
Month (PV)electricity the two electric vehicles
- Electrical Balance -
production as equivalent in km traveled**
Photovoltaic Energy taken from Photovoltaic power Total solar energy
Total energy Total energy
energy consumed the electricity grid supply of the consumed
Monthly PV consumed by the consumed by the
by the to charge the electric vehicles by the electric
production (kWh)* electric vehicles electric vehicles
electric vehicles electric vehicles (solar self-produc- vehicles (eq.
(kWh)* (eq. km traveled)
(kWh)* (kWh)* tion) (%) km traveled)
February ´19 223.5 77.6 51.6 26.0 66% 235.2 156.4
March´19 363.7 154.9 98.3 56.6 63% 469.4 297.9
April ´19 478.8 219.9 166.9 53.0 76% 666.4 502.0
May ´19* 522.7 220.0 165.7 54.4 75% 666.7 502.0
June´19* 658.0 220.2 164.5 55.7 75% 667.3 498.5
July ´19 672.4 258.7 209.4 49.3 81% 783.9 634.5
August ´19 539.8 257.2 196.1 61.1 76% 779.4 594.2
September ´19* 444.4 275.3 237.0 38.3 86% 834.2 718.2
October ´19 297.7 284.3 144.2 140.1 51% 861.6 437.1
November´19 103.4 293.4 51.5 241.9 18% 889.0 156.0
December ´19 87.5 318.2 51.0 267.2 16% 964.2 154.5
January ´20 101.5 311.2 62.4 248.8 20% 943.0 189.1
Total 4,493.5 2,890.9 1,598.6 1,292.4 59% 8,760.3 4,844.1
* Corrected data ** Average electricity consumption of the electric vehicles: 0,33 kWh/km – Data provided by La Poste
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 194.2. – Economic benefits
The GEPY demonstrator, made using innovative This experiment proves that with daily professional use
solutions, has a payback time of around 22 years. This of vehicles and an expected high level of service, these
payback time could be reduced significantly with the further solutions work and are reliable. One of the key points of the
development of technologies, industrialization of solutions system is the charge and discharge power of the battery,
and economies of scale. By 2025, assuming cost savings of which takes approximately two hours to reach its full charge
35 % for the installation and 20 % on economies of scale for level. This contributes to the reactivity and performance of
a larger installation built for 10 vehicles, it would be possible the installation.
to reduce this payback time to around 17 years.
Chart 3: Total investment
22-year return on investment Cumulated savings from solar
of the GEPY project in euros (€) charging electricity and diesel
80.000
Assumption for calculating the return on investment
70.000
An annual increase in the cost of electricity of 5.7%
60.000 Changing the inverter every 15 years
50.000 Changing the battery every 10 years
40.000
Cost per kWh in France : € 0.17
30.000
22-year GEPY project payback time
20.000 Initial investment € 34,000.00
10.000 Total investment at 30 years € 41,550.00
Euro
Total savings achieved at 30 years € 68,563.08
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
years
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 2080.000
Chart 4:
70.000
Return on investment of the GEPY project
with a hypothesis of an industrialized
60.000
solution by 2025
50.000
40.000
30.000
20.000
10.000 Total investment
Euro
Cumulated savings from solar
0
charging electricity and diesel
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
years
Assumption for calculating the return on investment
An annual increase in the cost of electricity 5.7 %
Difference in the cost of electricity Peak
Winter Hours / Off-peak Winter Hours € 0.04
(HPH / HCH)
Cost per kWh in France € 0.17
17-year payback period with a projection at 2025
Initial investment € 22,100.00
Total investment at 30 years € 29,650.00
Total savings achieved at 30 years € 68,563.08
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 214.3. – Societal issues
La Poste takes action on a daily basis to combat global warming, pollution and the depletion
of resources. In June 2020, the Group received the never previously achieved score of 75 out of
100 from the Vigéo Eiris agency, which rewards a comprehensive CSR approach and concrete
actions. This type of innovative project allows its commitment to be pursued and reinforced.
4.4 – Feedback from La Poste employees
The benefits are paying off for employees too. In summer, the shade structures that shelter the vehicles
prevent the cars and batteries from overheating, making them more comfortable to use. The postal
workers are truly proud to drive vehicles powered by solar energy and have found that it creates a good
impression amongst the public, with reaction being very positive. The project highlights La Poste’s exemplary role
in fostering solutions for energy transition and responsible transport, particularly as Eaton’s energy storage
solution, consisting of second-life batteries, promotes reuse and the circular economy. Overall, this is a
community-based initiative which consists of on site production and consumption of clean energy, a silent
revolution for La Poste and because this new installation does not affect operations, it makes it easier for employ-
ees to accept it and for it to be integrated more easily into everyday business at the site.
Local communication has played a central role in the success of this experiment. It was essential to demonstrate
the care taken towards health and safety at work, yet also explain the innovation and be very responsive to
information on the ground in order to identify any potential reluctance. GEPY has created a cross-functional project
within La Poste, requiring a real team effort that has fostered high-quality personal relationships among the
various stakeholders involved in the project.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 22Conclusion and outlook
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 235. Conclusion and outlook
This demonstration offers new opportunities outside electricity produced annually for 16,954,000 solar km traveled.
the scope of the study. The combination of photo- This would save 112.98 tons of CO2 compared to vehicles
voltaic generation, conversion, energy storage and powered by electricity from the French electricity grid.
electric vehicle charging technologies allows new In this study, we have only included electric cars and
services to be offered over the short and medium term commercial vehicles as the criteria for analysis, however La
that are beneficial to the electrical installations them- Poste also has electric scooters (“Staby” and “Quadeo”) and
selves. The same is true of the public electricity grid, which a large number of electric-assisted bicycles which could
will have to become more flexible in the coming years as benefit from this innovation. Whilst the return-on-investment
renewable energy is integrated. In winter, the system can time is still long, future increases in energy prices, tighter
make trade-offs or flatten consumption, recharging the policies and regulations to promote decarbonization, and the
battery on the public electricity grid during off-peak hours service opportunities associated with such a system mean
and recovering stored electricity during peak times, minimiz- that this initiative makes sense.
ing the impact on the public grid and reducing the energy
bill. These new services include: the Vehicle to Building The GEPY demonstrator was
(V2B) service, which uses the vehicle battery to store elec- quick to attract interest from local
tricity for the building, reselling the surplus energy produced, stakeholders involved in the ener-
the option to flatten consumption (peak shaving) to ease gy transition process and proves
pressure on public networks, and electric vehicle charging that effective and sustainable
services for personal use vehicles on the La Poste car parks. solutions exist. It also highlighted
the positive image and strong
Using this demonstrator as a model, if the entire fleet of potential of La Poste and its
La Poste’s 7,000 electric cars were to benefit from a solution partners, Engie and Eaton, as
of this kind, it would represent 5,593,000 kWh of photovoltaic drivers of the energy transition.
EATON Project case study – GEPY project, a microdrid demonstrator February 2021 24Eaton’s mission is to improve the quality of life and the
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