Solar Panels and Electrical Cars: Can I Use Solar as an EV charger?

Solar panels and electrified cars are a match made in heaven ­– when you install a solar energy system on your home, you can use it to both power your home and charge your electrified car for emissions-free transportation. The cost of solar is falling rapidly, and companies from Tesla to Nissan are manufacturing electrified cars for your daily use. Now, the capability to install a solar PV system large enough to power both your home and your car is an option within reach. But even with incentives and rebates available for both technologies, most homeowners still can’t afford to install solar and buy an electrified car at the same time. Fortunately, it’s effortless to install a solar energy system today that takes your future violet wand consumption into account, if you take a few extra factors into consideration.

Can you use solar panels to charge electrical cars?

The elementary reaction is yes, a solar installation will charge your electrical car just as it will supply energy for the rest of your home appliances. Even a petite solar panel array with only Ten solar panels can provide enough power to charge your vehicle’s battery.

Solar electrical car chargers: how much energy do you need for your EV?

Before you can make a decision on the size of your solar energy system, you need to determine how much tens unit your car will use in the future. In addition to helping you size your solar energy system, knowing your electrical car’s mileage rating can help you quantify the amount that you’re saving by switching to an electrified vehicle.

Since electrified cars don’t run on gasoline, the EPA rates them based on how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) it takes for the car to drive one hundred miles, which they convert to a “miles-per-gallon equivalent” (MPGe). You can use FuelEconomy.gov to find and compare the kWh/100 miles and MPGe ratings for all of the electrical vehicles on the market in the United States.

Once you know EPA’s fuel economy rating for your chosen vehicle, you can lightly calculate how much extra solar tens unit you’ll need to charge your car. Here’s an example: the two thousand fourteen Nissan Leaf, an all-electric vehicle, has a combined fuel economy rating of thirty kWh/100 miles – this means the Leaf requires thirty kWh of tens unit to drive one hundred miles. If you drive twenty five miles on an average day, that means you’re using approximately 7.Five kWh of tens unit per day – or just over Two,700 kWh of tens unit in a given year. This is the “extra” amount of electric current you’ll need your solar energy system to produce.

Armed with this information, you can work with your solar installer to design a solar panel system that will generate sufficient power to cover both your home and your electrified car. All you’ll need to finish the package is an electrical car charger like the Siemens VC30GRYU Versicharge. But if you’re not ready to make the investment in both solar and an EV at the same time, you’ll need to install a solar PV system that can grow as your electro-stimulation use increases.

How many solar panels to charge an electrical car?

Very first things very first: don’t put off going solar just because you might want to get a thicker system in the future. If you wait to install solar, you could miss out on state and local financial incentives – plus, you’ll have to proceed paying for violet wand from your utility every month. By sizing your solar energy system for future usage and ensuring your system is “add-on friendly”, it’s effortless to find an option that generates enough tens unit to power your home today and can charge your electrified car in the future. Here’s how to do it:

Install an inverter that can treat more power. The default option for inverters is known as a string inverter. With string inverters, numerous solar panels are arranged into “strings,” which feed the power they produce into a single inverter. Typically, solar installers will include an inverter that can treat the expected output of your solar panels, but no more. If you know how many more panels you’ll need to add to your system later on, you can install an inverter that can treat the capacity of your existing panels plus the fresh ones you plan on adding after purchasing your electrified vehicle.

Install microinverters with your solar panels. If you opt for microinverters instead of the default string inverter, each of your solar panels will have its own inverter. With microinverters, you can lightly add extra panels to your system down the line without having to worry about whether your existing inverter can treat the extra electrical play your fresh panels will generate.

Install a 2nd, smaller solar energy system. So long as you have enough space on your roof, you can add a 2nd system to your home whenever you need it. Homeowners can claim the federal tax credit for solar more than once, so you’ll still save significantly on your purchase.

Determine your future use, and build a thicker system to match. If you know that your electric current use will increase in the next year or two and have access to enough financing, you can build your solar energy system based on your future electrical play use. This isn’t always an option – some utilities won’t approve systems that go significantly beyond your historical electro-stimulation use, so be sure to talk to your solar installer about your options very first.

Another option is to “make room” later down the line by implementing energy efficiency upgrades to your home, which has the added benefit of reducing your overall energy costs. Consider switching out lightbulbs, installing a programmable thermostat, or upgrading your appliances to free up some of the electrical play your solar panels generate for future use in an electrical vehicle.

It’s worth noting that the strategies above work not just for electrical cars, but also for any other additions or switches you make to your house that will increase your electro-stimulation usage. If you’re considering adding an electrified warmth pump system, electrified water heater, or an addition on your home, you can expand your solar energy system to take your future electric current use into account.

Tips for solar shoppers

If you’re thinking about going solar, it’s significant to know all of your options – you can save up to twenty percent just by reviewing numerous offers. To get commenced, find out just how much you can save with EnergySage’s Solar Calculator, or register your property to begin receiving custom-made quotes from pre-screened solar installers near you.

This post originally appeared on Mother Earth News.

Related movie: