In a move to promote the use of renewable energy in transportation, Urban Green Energy (UGE) International Inc. and GE (NYSE:GE) have installed an integrated wind powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Barcelona, Spain. The system, which is the first of its kind in Europe, was installed at the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB) in early March.

The EV charging station consists of a UGE Visionair5 wind turbine and a GE WattStation EV charging station. The system is connected to the Barcelona power grid and can provide up to 2.4 kilowatts (kW) of power to charge EVs. The system is expected to generate about 3,500 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year, enough to power about 30 EVs for a distance of 1,000 kilometers each.

The integrated system is designed to take advantage of the variability of wind energy by storing energy in the form of heat in a specially designed tank. This stored energy can then be used to power the EV charging station when wind conditions are not ideal.

The system was installed as part of the Smart City Expo World Congress, which is being held in Barcelona from November 19-21.