Solar Panels: How Many Solar Panels Does it Take to Charge an Electric Car?
With a lot of people deciding to go with natural energy and with the number of people who prefer buying electric cars, there are a lot of home solar electric car chargers that are found with people who have both.
And let’s say that you are one of those people who are planning on going all-natural, you must have a ton of questions. How many solar panels does it take to charge an electric car? Why don’t electric cars charge themselves? How many solar panels does it take to charge a Tesla powerwall 2? Well, we are going to attempt to answer some of your questions here.
How do you charge an electric car with solar panels?
How many solar panels does it take to charge an electric car? You would need an average of 8 to 12 panel systems to charge your own car. Just to make things clear, you don’t have to put off going solar just because you would maybe want to have to get a bigger system in the future. By sizing your solar energy system for your future usage, it is easy to find options that could generate just enough electricity to power your home today and charge your electric car at the same time.
- Install an inverter that can handle more power
A string inverter, also known as the default option for all of the inverters, has multiple solar panels that are arranged into “strings” which would feel the power they produce into a single inverter. Solar installers would typically include an inverter that would be able to change the output of your solar panels that you expect from it and maybe even more.
You will need to add to your system and install an inverter that could handle the capacity of your existing panels, in addition to new ones that you are planning on installing after purchasing your electrical vehicle, especially if you know how many more panels you are going to be needing.
- Install micro inverters with your solar panels
Each of your solar panels would have to have their own inverters if you choose to get micro inverters instead of the default string inverter. With this option, you would be able to easily add more panels to your systems as time goes by without needing to worry about your existing inverter, on whether or not it could handle the additional electricity that all of your new panels would be generating.
- Install a second and much smaller solar energy system
There is an option of adding a second system to your home whenever you need it, as long as you have enough space on your roof or maybe your garden, in a way that it would be able to efficiently capture enough sunlight when you add it to your home. Homeowners could claim the federal tax credit for solar more than once, so you would still be able to save a significant amount if you choose to add another solar energy system.
- Determined your future use and build a bigger system to match
You could build your own solar energy system based on your future electricity use, especially if you know that your use of electricity would be increasing in the next year or two and you have enough financing for it. Some utilities won’t always approve systems that are significantly beyond your historical electricity use, so you have to make sure to talk to your solar installer about your future plan and all the possible options that you could take.
One other thing that you could do is “make room” later down the line. Implement energy efficiency upgrades to your home, this option could have added benefits of reducing your overall energy costs. You could consider switching out light bulbs, upgrading your appliances to free up some of your electricity and maybe even installing a programmable thermostat.
Why don’t they put solar panels on electric cars?
A vehicle would only be able to attain one to three miles of range for each hour charged if they use solar power since most electric vehicles use a 240-volt outlet when it is parked at home and on average, these 240-volt outlets would be able to prove about 30 miles of range of each hour that the electric car is being charged. It would mean that it needs about 90 hours of direct sunlight if you want to fully charge the battery of your car and makes it impractical for many vehicles. If you’re considering opting for solar energy plans for your home, then make sure to check out Reliant Energy reviews to see other people’s experiences with the company.