Everything you need to know about solar EV charging
One third of Australian homes have solar panels. Are you using it to charge your EV? Here’s everything you need to know to get started with solar charging.
Want to get started charging your EV from solar? Get a quote here.
Forget the sunshine state; Australia is the sunshine nation.
It’s a world leader in solar energy. As a country, we have almost four million small solar systems installed in homes and small businesses. These systems generate an impressive amount of power — solar generates more than 11% of Australia’s electricity supply.
Can you use that energy to charge your EV? Absolutely.
Whether you’re one of the 36% of Australian homes with solar panels installed or you’re considering getting panels installed, it makes sense to have solar top of mind.
How does solar power work?
Solar panels are usually mounted on your rooftop to catch the most sunlight, but if you have plenty of open space it’s possible to set them up on the ground.
Some basic terminology before we go any further:
- Kilowatts (kW) measure power
- Kilowatt-hours (kWh) measure energy used or produced over time
A typical Aussie household might have 19 solar panels — each about 1.7m2 and with a capacity of 350 watts. This would take up about 32m2 and have a total capacity of 6.6kW.
“Total capacity” is the most power panels can produce in ideal conditions: bright, direct sunlight like you get in the middle of the day. Most of the time your system will be operating a bit below this.
A system like the one we’ve described will produce about 26kWh of solar energy over the day. It could be a bit more or a bit less depending on where you are in the country and how much sun you get.
How long does solar take to charge my EV?
With a typical solar set-up and commute, an hour or two of solar charging should be enough.
A typical EV stores around 60kWh of energy. However, you don’t usually need a full charge to go about your day-to-day business. Most people have a work commute that’s roughly 30km or less.
To charge enough for this commute, the 6.6kW system we discussed earlier could get you this in an hour or so (on a sunny day).
Want a full charge? You might need to charge a bit longer.
Given the typical solar set-up in Aussie home — 19 solar panels generating 6.6kW — here’s how long it would take you to charge your EV to full during summer sunshine hours:
Some home EV chargers, like the Evnex E2 Plus, can top up your solar energy with energy from the grid to get you some extra distance, or you can set them to charge purely from solar if you’d prefer to stay clean and green.
Do I need a solar battery?
Not necessarily. A solar battery is a storage system for your home solar – it's useful for trapping any solar energy you don’t use during the day.
The average solar battery stores about 10kWh of energy. That’s enough to keep your home powered for a day, or give you enough charge to get to work.
For a full EV charge, you’d need multiple batteries; and they can cost between $8,000 and $10,000 each.
A solar battery (or batteries) might be worth it if you plan on using solar energy to run your house, not just your car.
But if your main goal is charging your car affordably, a smart charger with solar diversion and off-peak scheduling (like the Evnex E2) is usually a better-value option.
A smart charger that combines solar diversion and tariff scheduling might be a more cost-effective way to stay powered.
Can I get a solar rebate?
Probably! Australia has some of the most generous solar incentives around.
The upfront cost of installing solar is pretty steep. A 6.6kW system normally costs between $6,000 and $7,000. How can you bring that down?
Start with the federal government’s STCs — small-scale technology certificates. These are certificates you can get based on your solar set-up and sell to energy companies to offset the cost of your system.
The price of STCs changes day-to-day, but at the time of writing one STC costs $39.85. If your 6.6kW system gets 91 STCs, you’ll get $3,626.35 off the price. That’s a hefty discount.
There are also rebates available depending on which state you live in. For example, Victoria residents have the Solar Homes Program which offers up to $1,400 for solar panel installation; and in New South Wales you can get up to $3,000 in refunds or loans.
You can find rebates for which you might be eligible by using the government’s search tool.
And if you want an EV charger that works with any solar set-up, you can get a quote.
