Alternative Green SA, has been active in the field of renewable energy for over 20 years. The organisation uses Chargeplanner to estimate the potential of charging stations. "Chargeplanner has significantly improved our decision-making. We also get bank financing much easier". 

The activities of Alternative Green NV began in 1999, in association with a number of leading Belgian companies. Historically, it is a wind farm development company that has completed over 50 MW of wind farm projects. The company currently operates 9.4 MW of wind turbines and has a current development pipeline of 54 MW.

In particular in the development of wind farms across Belgium and internationally, Alternative Green manages an extension on these activities by installing and operating large EV charging stations. Wallonia is their focus area, addressing the current scarcity of such facilities in this region.

A few months ago, Alternative Green started using ChargePlanner, the software developed by RetailSonar to assess the potential of charging stations. We had the opportunity to interview Arthur Van Marcke, who is responsible for Business Development.

What makes Alternative Green unique in terms of approach?

“We are proud of producing our own energy, enabling us to supply green electricity through our charging stations. We focus on large chargeparks that combine multiple chargers on one site with complementary infrastructure such as shops, fast food restaurants, and meeting rooms. Always aligned with the local needs. On top of that, we seek to promote local tourism on our sites by showcasing the hidden beauty of various locations in Wallonia.”

"Our gut feel is not always correct, sometimes Chargeplanner proves the opposite"

How does ChargePlanner help you?

Alternative Green uses ChargePlanner to find the most suitable locations. Arthur explains: “In the past we worked with very limited data. We were looking for solutions and that’s how we got in contact with RetailSonar. We asked you to assess a batch of candidate sites on their market potential. The Chargeplanner software calculates the business case and exports the results in a clear report. The software's predictive capabilities, based on objective data and AI, has significantly improved our decision-making processes and has made the the bank financing a lot easier.”

Choosing the right locations is not easy. “Our gut feeling is not always correct. I had a few projects that seemed great, but turned out not to be at all. And vice versa. For example, I once requested a study for a successful Walloon fastfood chain to install chargers on multiple locations of theirs. But the result of the study showed us it would have been financially unviable to develop that project…. Your information has helped us enormously to ask ourselves the right questions.”

“Our collaboration gives us an invaluable insight in the complex dynamics of EV owner charging behaviour."

Which insights did you get already from our software?

Our business being focused on the installation of fast charging stations on the parkings of retail parks/commercially developed locations, The disparity between our expectations and the study results compelled us to reevaluate our strategy. While some locations seem good on paper, the reality is that certain factors will heavily and unexpectedly influence the end result.

Our criteria of selection for potential projects has substantially evolved and we are now able to give precise instructions to our team of prospectors.”

How do you look to the future?

“Short-term, we remain committed to our efforts in Wallonia. Within a couple of years, we might expand our operations to Italy, a market with promising potential for the future as well. Regarding the collaboration with ChargePlanner, there is a good chance that we will take a license on the software. In this way we can start studying sites ourselves. This would also enable us to assess an unlimited amount of locations and finally identify the best possible sites on the market.”

How do you experience the collaboration with us?

Arthur speaks highly of the cooperation with RetailSonar: “The collaboration has been exceptional, with ChargePlanner expert Lucas providing invaluable support and guidance. This positive experience has significantly contributed to our progress. In retrospect, we would have liked to use Chargeplanner much sooner!”

Do you have any tips for us to further improve our solution?

“Yes, I do! Chargeplanner is still highly focused on ultrafast chargers. However, we also need to make business cases for sites that are mainly suitable for slow chargers. For this type of charging, other parameters are important. ChargePlanner cannot respond to this yet, but I understood that this will come soon.”