How much Solar for an EV?
13/12/24 19:20
If you own an EV or want to buy one, you might think, what is the cleanest way to drive it? Well, it is with your own Maine-grown energy direct from the sun! If you have a Solar System, you may find that the car can use from 1/3 to 2/3rd of your output. If an average install size is about 6-8 kW than this might be the case.
Do not be surprised to see your new car sucking up a lot of output. If you can, consider oversizing your system with a larger inverter than you may have now so that you can be ready to expand your system (if you have the roof space or yard space).
Consider a ground mount array as an option if you have a sunny spot with land near your home. My home is a Cape Cod and I have a 13-14 kW size system and have a year-round average of using all or most of the output for the house and EV. It also depends on how much you drive or course and how efficient your EV is. My Chevy Bolt gets about 3.5 miles per kWh. So, a 50 kWh summer day output on my system will let me drive 175 miles.
Do not be surprised to see your new car sucking up a lot of output. If you can, consider oversizing your system with a larger inverter than you may have now so that you can be ready to expand your system (if you have the roof space or yard space).
Consider a ground mount array as an option if you have a sunny spot with land near your home. My home is a Cape Cod and I have a 13-14 kW size system and have a year-round average of using all or most of the output for the house and EV. It also depends on how much you drive or course and how efficient your EV is. My Chevy Bolt gets about 3.5 miles per kWh. So, a 50 kWh summer day output on my system will let me drive 175 miles.