E-charging at street lamps

Will it soon be possible to charge electric cars at street lamps in Jena? What are the technical requirements for this? And at which locations could this make sense? These and other questions are the focus of a new pilot project by Stadtwerke Energie Jena-Pößneck and Kommunalservice Jena (ksj). The first street lighting pole in the ksj customer parking lot at Löbstedter Straße 68 has been equipped with a charging facility for electric vehicles.

As part of the trial, the lamp post equipped with charging infrastructure can only be used by the project partners. The aim is to test technical processes and framework conditions. The plan is to create a further four lamppost charging points in public spaces over the next few months, which anyone can use. Depending on the evaluation of the usage data, it may be possible to further expand the concept of lamppost charging in Jena.

Djamila Neutert, Team Leader Energy Services at Stadtwerke Energie: "We have been promoting electromobility in Jena for more than ten years. Our goal is to create a comprehensive charging infrastructure for the people of Jena. With our 'lantern charging' pilot project, we are gathering initial experience of charging times, electricity volumes and technical features. Our findings in the coming months will show the extent to which charging at street lamps in Jena is viable for the future."

The topic of streetlight charging is subject to specific framework conditions in Jena, as Wolfgang Hillesheim, responsible for traffic control at the ksj, says: "The electricity network for street lighting in Jena differs from the usual domestic installation. Technical factors include the length of the lines and the comparatively low output, which is naturally only switched on during the dark hours of the day. However, the location is also decisive as to whether a lamppost is even suitable as a charging point. The task now is to find out whether the available power is sufficient to charge vehicles with electricity within a reasonable period of time." The two partners should make a final decision on the future of lamppost charging in Jena by the end of the year at the latest.

Kommunalservice Jena operates around 12,500 streetlights in the city. Jenaer Stadtwerke has been testing various charging solutions since 2011 and currently operates a public charging network with more than 80 charging points, eight of which offer fast charging for electric cars. The company also provides around 350 additional charging points for private households, businesses and the housing industry.