You might never guess where a brand new solar-powered EV charging station just went up. Not in California, not in Spain, not in Germany, the unofficial world leader in solar-powered EV charging stations. But in Jordan, yes that Jordan – the one sitting in the Middle East, smack dab in the heart of oil country.

In fact, Jordan hasn’t been blessed with the oil other countries in the region have been and must import more than 90% of its energy. But it’s got a tremendous energy resource in the sun, a resource it’s now tapping via a brand new 3 kW solar EV charging canopy as part of the country’s long-term effort to break free from its dependence on foreign oil.

Jordan aims for 10% renewable by 2020
Located in the capital city of Amman, the Jordan's first solar EV canopy is off-grid. It can simultaneously charge a Nissan LEAF and multiple light electric vehicles such as electric scooters and includes a lithium-ion energy storage system protected from the heat of the Jordanian sun via a passive thermal management system created by AllCell Technologies.

The project was designed as a proof-of-concept for a large-scale infrastructure project to meet the Jordanian government's goal of 10% renewable energy by 2020. The station is located at the El-Hassan Science City, and will be open for public tours and educational programs in the near future.

AllCell CEO Said Al-Hallaj, who spearheaded the project starting in the fall of 2010, expressed his excitement over Jordan’s landmark solar-powered EV charging station: "The combination of solar energy, electric vehicles, and energy storage holds enormous promise as a solution to multiple problems inherent in today's energy systems. The benefits include reduced oil consumption and carbon emissions, increased peak electricity generation, and grid-friendly load shifting."

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