At the Athens-Clarke County Library in Northeastern Georgia, local residents can not only enjoy some quiet time with their favorite books — they can also recharge their electric vehicles (EVs) faster than ever before, thanks to the support of City Electric Supply (CES) EV Solutions and Solar Sun World.
Supporting the growing need for clean energy
Across Athens-Clarke County was a need for new and upgraded EV chargers. Initially, there were two older Level 2 10kW chargers in the parking lot of the local library, which provided moderate charging speed. But as charging expectations evolved, many drivers began looking for even faster charging solutions as usage steadily declined.
“On an older, lower-level EV charger, it could take four to six hours just to go from a 20 percent charge to an 80 percent charge, while a higher-level EV charger can reach that in a fraction of that time frame,” said Andrew Mitchell, regional sales manager of CES EV Solutions.
According to EC&M, with 20.7 million electric vehicles sold globally in 2025, the increasing demand for electrical infrastructure in regions with developing grid capacity grew to nearly 50 percent in emerging markets. As EV use rises faster than many local charging grids can handle, communities often rely on clean and renewable energy initiatives to keep up with demand.
“We have a clean and renewable energy initiative that was passed by the Mayor & Commission office in August 2022,” said J. Michael Wharton, sustainability department director at Athens-Clarke County Unified Government. “The plan is for the city government to fully transition to clean energy by 2035. It’s all part of a voter-approved and state-authorized set asides valued at around $15.4 million for SPLOST clean energy projects that guarantee local funding to achieve this goal.”
One of those projects included upgrading EV charging infrastructure at the Athens-Clarke County Library parking lot.
Source: www.solarsunworld.com
Athens-Clarke County reaches out to Solar Sun World
For several years, Josef Kullmann, master electrician and owner of Solar Sun World, has worked with Athens-Clarke County as an electrical contractor installing renewable energy power sources, like solar panels and EV chargers, across the community.
“We started working with Josef back in 2018, when he installed two solar panels, dual-axis trackers, and a battery storage system for our Family Protection Center,” said Wharton. “There’s a need for more public-facing EV chargers in the community, and Josef has a lot of experience with implementing them into commercial and government-run spaces.”
“I first learned about the library parking lot project in early 2025 when the city reached out to me for a consultation,” said Kullmann. “I advised that the Level 2 10kW chargers be replaced with Level 3 60kW chargers, with their main energy source coming directly from solar panels to ease and keep up with grid capacity and EV demand.”
Kullmann also worked with Keith Lunsford, building and automation coordinator at Athens-Clarke County Unified Government, to get guidance on where to place the upgrades and install them in the parking lot. “I helped plan the location of the panels, chargers, conduit, and how they would be connected to the electrical room inside the library,” said Lunsford.
“We couldn’t place the solar panels on the roof of the library due to the age of the structure and the way it was built,” added Wharton. “But thanks to Josef’s experience with dual-axis tracking mounts, we could place them in the parking lot near the Level 3 chargers.”
Source: www.plugshare.com
The electrical supplier for all your EV needs
After Kullmann figured out what he needed and where to install them, he reached out to a local electrical supplier for the material.
“When Josef called me about the EV charger installation library project, I quickly got him in touch with our EV Solutions division,” said CES Lake Oconee Branch Manager Mike Geohagan. “The team helped get the ChargePoint Level 3 60kW chargers that were needed for the job and selected the model and negotiated the pricing of the items directly with Josef.”
“The branches have close relationships with potential customers who may be exploring larger EV projects. Our goal is to support those opportunities and help the branches expand what they can offer,” said Mitchell.
With help from local CES team members and branches, divisions like EV Solutions are better able to connect directly with customers on the ground who work on industry projects that serve communities across the country.
After Kullmann completed the installation, the impact was immediate. Within two months, traffic usage for the upgraded EV chargers in the library parking lot doubled. Building on this momentum, CES EV Solutions soon supplied four more Level 3 chargers: two for the nearby fire department and two for the Commissioner’s Office.
“Working with City Electric Supply and Solar Sun World was great,” said Wharton. “We applied for more grants at the federal level to hopefully keep working on more EV projects like this to reach our 2035 sustainability goal.”
“The city isn’t only expanding its use of EV chargers; Athens-Clarke County also purchased 10 electric vehicles for the local police department, and they can charge up when needed at the library and other local facilities in our community,” said Lunsford.
“By the end of 2026, approximately 18 percent of Athens-Clarke County Unified Government’s light-duty fleet (450 vehicles) is projected to be comprised of all-electric vehicles,” Wharton added.
Last updated on June 10, 2026