Enviromena powers InstaVolt’s Winchester EV superhub

Clean energy company Enviromena has been appointed to deliver on-site solar power at InstaVolt’s upcoming EV charging superhub in Winchester.

The new hub at Three Maids Hill is situated just metres from the A34 junction close to the M3 and will feature 44 chargers – all powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.

It’s also set to include drive-thru bays for towing vehicles, fully accessible charging bays, an on-site cafe and a children’s play area.

The site will be powered by a ground-mounted solar array and roof-mounted panels on the café – all supported by a utility scale energy storage system.

Enviromena has also signed a long-term operations and maintenance agreement with Basingstoke-based InstaVolt to ensure optimum performance of the solar and oversee the interaction between the panels, batteries and chargers.

InstaVolt’s CEO Delvin Lane said: “Our choice of partners for this site were key.

“The Winchester superhub is a flagship site and we required advanced technologies that will deliver, and we knew that by working with Enviromena that we’d get just that.”

Enviromena manages, owns, operates and maintains over 300MW of renewable energy assets, with a further 3GW of renewable energy projects in the pipeline across the UK and Europe.

The company completed its 25MWp solar farm at Three Maids Hill in 2022, which provides enough electricity to power 9,500 homes and avoid 6,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.

Lee Adams, chief commercial offer at Enviromena, said: “The Enviromena team know the area well, having worked alongside the residents and community groups in Winchester while we were building and continue to manage the neighbouring solar farm.

“We’re really excited to be part of this upcoming project.

“At Enviromena, we’re always looking to push boundaries in terms of innovation, and it’s great to partner up with InstaVolt – a company that is very much aligned with our own mission to lower carbon emissions through sustainable alternatives.

“The on-site solar provision means the power is right there, easily accessible and the battery energy storage system means that if the energy isn’t being used it can be stored.

“It’s win-win.”

Delvin added: “There are now more than 1,190,000 fully electric cars on UK roads, and the Winchester site is the first of our new generation of superhubs that will serve the growing number of motorists who are choosing a greener future.

“This represents a major landmark for us and will be game-changing for EV drivers.

“Linking the South with the Midlands and beyond, the site will be a gateway to the Jurassic Coast and the South West for EV drivers.”

Work on the Winchester superhub began in June and is due to complete by spring 2025.

The site is part of InstaVolt’s plans to install 11,000 ultra rapid chargers in the UK and Ireland by 2030.