Taking another step in building out its electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the state of Tennessee is now home to the first of several solar-powered EV-charging stations. Collaborating with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) ,' the U.S. electrical products firm Eaton developed a 'solar-assisted electric vehicle charging station (not pictured).

The first station will be erected at EPRI's lab in Knoxville, Tennessee, and working with TVA, one of the biggest power producers in the U.S., more will be installed around the state in coming months.

"Solar-assisted electric vehicle charging stations are a crucial step toward the development of a regional system of clean fuel for electric vehicles," said Tom Schafer, general manager of Eaton's Commercial Distribution Products Division, in a statement.

The prototype charging station used by EPRI and TVA, also known as a Smart Modal Area Recharge Terminal (SMART), will provide information on energy usage, the time when the equipment is used, the amount of solar-generated electricity produced and stored, and the potential impact of load clusters. Load clusters occur when several vehicles are refueled at the same time and they can put stress on the localized distribution system. An issue that utilities are investigating possible solutions for, including advanced battery and smart-grid systems

Additional stations are planned for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Nashville, Chattanooga and another site in Knoxville.

Image: Design of EV-charging station by Johnston MarkLee unrelated to solar-assisted EV charger.