TrydaNi benefits from European cooperation

The Green Valleys CIC is a partner on the EU Interreg North-West Europe ECCO project that aims to further develop citizen and community energy across the region.

Our project partner Lochem Energie in the Netherlands has been instrumental in developing the local EV network including charge points, car clubs and various financial incentives to grow EV car use.

The Netherlands is second only to Norway in EV ownership per capita with almost 15% of new cars in 2019 being electric. This ownership uptake is undoubtedly linked to the Netherlands having the highest number of EV charge points per capita. A recent trip to the Netherlands showed just how far Wales lags behind, with multiple EV charge points being readily available at a number of public sites.

Participation in the ECCO project enables TrydaNi to tap into the advice, support and experience of the partners. Representatives of Lochem Energie have visited Wales and provided direct input into the collective ideas from the community energy sector. Lochem Energie is also on hand to advise us on the development of TrydaNi and has experienced the development of the Dutch EV charge network first hand. Understanding who will use a charge point, at which location and for how long is essential to the effective development of an EV charge network. TrydaNi can learn from the experiences in the Netherlands to help us roll out the network in Wales.

Written by Gareth Ellis, Director of The Green Valleys CIC