More automotive companies that previously produced only gasoline-powered vehicles have shifted focus to manufacturing EVs for your daily use, with Tesla leading the way. If you already own or look forward to purchasing an EV, then having an efficient and effective solution to charge the car battery at home is beneficial and fulfilling. You’ve definitely got to choose whether to charge the battery off-grid or install a solar power system for the same purpose. Among other home solar system benefits, EV owners stand to benefit monetarily from installing solar at their home.
If you already have a solar system, then expanding it to accommodate the increased energy needs to power the household appliances and charge the car can be an informed solution. Even a small solar system containing 10 solar panels can provide enough electricity to charge the car battery.
Here are the benefits of having a solar-powered EV charging station at home
1. Save on Energy Costs
If you’re in New York State, you can expect to pay 18.41 cents/kWh if you use grid power to charge your vehicle — the U.S average stands at 13.31 cents/kWh. And these rates are projected to continue rising! You can easily offset your monthly power bill by more than half if you install a solar system instead. The long-term savings of a solar system outweigh the upfront costs of installation.
2. Net Metering
Worried about not charging your vehicle’s battery during the day because you spend it at work? Worry no more! You can still profit from net metering. This method works by allowing you to pump the excess energy produced by solar panels during the day into the grid for equivalent energy credits off-grid when you need it. For example, say your power panels pumped a total of 10 kWh into the grid during a typical day. During the evening or night when you’re back home, you can draw back your 10 kWh of electricity from the grid to charge the battery free of charge. And if the full 10kWh is not pulled back, you sell the remaining supplied power to the electricity company for profits.
3. Zero Carbon Footprint
It confirmed that electric vehicles significantly reduce environmental impacts caused by the use of gasoline. However, if you use grid electricity to power your car, then you might be doing very little to reduce your carbon footprint than you know. How? Well, between 40%-60% of national grid power is still manufactured from fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy. Therefore, installing a home solar EV charging station is an environmentally-friendly solution as it guarantees a 100% carbon-neutral footprint.
4. Convenience
Public charging stations can inconvenience you (especially if you live in an area with few of them) when you meet people lined up waiting to charge their vehicles. Additionally, a home station powered by the grid is an inconvenience when an electricity outage hits. Charging from solar power offers suitability and flexibility to charge your car at night in the comfort of your home. Besides, if you don’t have to worry about grid outages — adding a solar battery at home to store energy offers full flexibility because an outage at night won’t affect you.
5. Government Incentives and Tax Credits
The time to take advantage of the federal government solar tax credit is now! The federal government offers investment tax credit (ITC) on solar panel systems to the tune of 26% in 2020 and down to 22% in 2021 of upfront costs. However, this program is scheduled to end in the year 2022. You might want to check on the state-specific tax credit and incentives, depending on the state of residence. In either case, the earlier you go solar, the more you save on installation costs.
6. Increased Property Value
What if I want to sell my property in the future? Studies have found that home installed with the solar system has increased market price and quickly sell as more buyers get informed about the advantage of buying a solar-powered home.
How Many Solar Panels Can Power a Home EV Charging Station?
This is dependent on the size of the EV battery capacity and the average miles you drive daily. Fine, let do quick math. An average American drives 37miles per day. Suppose you own a standard Tesla Model S with a 75 kWh battery and 25 kWh/100 mi rating. That equates to an average requirement of about 10 kWh per day or 300 kWh per month. A 250-watt solar panel produces a minimum of 30 kWh of AC power per month. Therefore, to fully power your EV with solar, you’ll need a 10-panel solar EV charging station.
By far, installing a solar power system to power your EV charging system is a worthy investment.