Table of Contents
The shift towards Electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK is a huge stepping stone in tackling the energy crisis and minimising carbon emissions.
Cars are one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases and controlling their emissions means controlling a huge chunk of air pollution.
In addition to being better for the environment, EVs are generally better cars than their fossil-fuelled counterparts. They can accelerate more quickly, have nearly no moving parts, are noiseless, are not susceptible to as much wear and tear, and have low running and maintenance costs.
Although EVs are considered an environment-friendly option due to zero exhaust emissions, they are still responsible for contributing to greenhouse gases if they are charged using conventional sources of energy, such as from the electricity grid.
If you wish to go completely green, you need to look into renewable energy sources such as solar power to charge your electric car.
Read on to find out if solar panels can charge your electric car and how they can help contribute towards a greener environment:
The simple answer to that is yes! Electric vehicles and solar panels are like a match made in heaven – both created to reduce dependence on non-renewable resources and help keep our planet clean and green.
By charging your electric car using a solar PV system installed in your home, you can make substantial savings on your EV running costs and reduce your carbon footprint using 100% clean solar energy.
In addition to reducing carbon emissions, you will have the ability to charge your EV free of cost, making solar panels a perfect accessory for your electric car.
By switching to an electric car, you are already taking a positive step towards conserving the planet’s renewable resources and protecting the environment, and combining that with clean energy will maximise the impact even further.
Though the initial cost of investing in a solar panel system is relatively high, it has numerous benefits and is considered by many EV owners as pre-buying their fuel for the next few years.
Also, if you look at its long-term running costs and the cost-savings that it provides you with, the initial cost of investment is quickly repaid by charging your electric cars practically for free!
Before you determine the amount of solar energy and the specific number of solar panels needed to charge your electric car, you need to find out the capacity of your EV’s battery and the amount of energy each solar panel is producing.
There are a few other factors that need to be taken into consideration such as how many miles you drive, the way you drive, and the amount of sun you get in a day.
An electric car’s battery capacity is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and can range anywhere between 12-kWh to 100-kWh or higher. As a reference, let’s look at the Nissan Leaf, one of the most popular EVs in the UK, which has a 40-kWh battery.
The amount of energy produced by an individual solar panel is dependent on its size, material, and efficiency, among a few other factors. An average domestic solar installation in the UK is around 4-kW with 16 250-watt panels and an estimated surface area of 25.6m2.
A standard domestic solar panel installation of 16 to 20 panel is adequate to charge your electric car and is a very realistic figure for EV owners.
You can follow these four easy steps to figure out the size of your solar panel system to suit both your domestic electricity needs as well as your EV charging requirements:
In the UK, a standard-sized domestic solar PV system is enough to power both your home and provide the energy to charge your electric car.
This would be an ideal solution if you happen to keep your car at home during the day for it to charge using solar energy.
However, since most of us need to use the car during the daytime and only get time during the night to recharge the car, this presents an issue since there is no sunshine at night to charge the car with.
Here’s where solar battery storage systems come to the rescue. You can easily store the electricity generated during the day in these batteries and use it absolutely whenever you want, regardless of whether the sun is shining or not.
The excess electricity produced by the solar panels during the day is stored in them which can be used to power the lights, charge electric vehicles (EVs), and other electricity-dependent devices.
The amount of solar energy a battery can store depends on the capacity of the battery, and the higher the capacity, the more energy it can store.
The typical cost for solar battery storage systems in the UK ranges between £1,200 and £6,000 depending on the type of battery, its capacity, and life cycle.
The price might seem a bit high but, much like solar panels, solar batteries will also adopt the same price drop when the systems become more widespread. The trend is already showing as more and more people are investing in battery storage systems.
Proper installation of solar battery storage systems is very important since the inability to install them correctly can pose serious safety threats resulting in electric shocks, fires, burns, and explosions.
The systems can be mounted on a wall, kept standing on the floor, placed inside, or installed outside. If they are designed to be installed outside, they need to be weatherproof and able to withstand harsh weather conditions such as heat, rain, and snow.
Outside installation includes access for electrical wiring to be laid out and an area not under direct sunlight or near heat to avoid the system from overheating.
Ventilation is a major factor to consider when installing both inside or outside, and it is recommended that the system not be placed in a habitable room such as a bedroom or living room, or areas of work such as offices in a commercial setting.
It is best to discuss these key installation points with your certified electrician to get a professional opinion based on your particular requirements.
As of January 2021, there were 20,775 public EV chargers in the UK and the numbers keep rising rapidly as the demand for EVs increases.
However, despite the surge in public charging stations all over the country, if you are an electric car owner or are interested in buying one, you should look into installing an EV charging port at your home as it can result in huge cost savings in the long-run.
There are several benefits of powering your electric car from the comfort of your home. For starters, home charging ports provide a convenient way for EV owners to fuel their electric car without the need to find a public charging station.
It is a relatively cheaper option and if you wish to save even more money and opt for something more environment-friendly, you can use solar energy to power your EV.
To efficiently charge an EV using solar energy, you’ll need to install a home EV charging unit and a PV inverter unit to convert solar energy into electricity.
Home electric car charging points need to be professionally installed by a certified charging provider, with the installation process including mounting the charging point on an exterior wall or garage.
The setup needs to be near to where the EV is parked since most cables run between 15 to 25 feet long. If the distance is more than that, the installer may have to extend the cables which might incur additional charges.
The price of a domestic EV charger installation is around £800. However, it may vary depending on the installer, manufacturer, and speed of the charger.
A typical 3-kW system is priced at £250 – £500, while a 7-kW charger is priced at £450 – £800. The cost to charge an EV at home is about £8.40 for a full charge and is the most cost-effective and convenient way.
You can also get a government grant of up to £350 to offset the installation costs if you fall within the eligibility criteria of the EV Homecharge Scheme (EVHS).
To qualify for the EVHS, you must:
According to the law, as of 1st July 2019, to qualify for a government-funded grant, all charge points must use smart technology so that they can be remotely accessed and help reduce high demands of electricity for the consumer at peak times, and to encourage the use of solar and off-peak charging.
The main difference between a traditional charging system and a smart charger is that the latter enables the EV, the EV charger, and the EV charger owner/operator to share a data connection, allowing the owner/operator to remotely monitor, manage, and restrict the use of the chargers to optimise energy consumption.
Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs), or regular gas and petrol-fuelled cars, take hardly a few minutes to fuel up, and with fuel stations present at every corner, it becomes even more convenient.
What about electric cars? How long does it take to charge them? Well, it depends on two main factors:
EVs come in different sizes and the same goes for the batteries that they are built with. Just as different cars have different sized fuel tanks, electric cars also have different sized batteries. The bigger the size of the battery, the longer it would take for it to charge.
Step one in knowing how long it would take is to know how many kilowatt-hours the car battery can hold.
Step two is knowing the strength of your available power supply as you can only charge the battery as fast as the electricity can pass through the charging cable.
The charging ability of the cable is dependent on the level of the charger you are using, i.e., Level 1 or Level 2.
A Level 2 charging station with a 240-volt connection will charge your EV at a much faster rate than a Level 1 charger plugged directly into a standard household unit.
A Level 2 charger requires a dedicated circuit in your home to charge your EV and is quicker and safer than a Level 1 charger that always carries the risk of overloading and causing the circuit breaker to shut off.
It is a known fact that solar panels have a high initial cost. It is also a known fact that due to the many benefits and cost-savings related to your own generated renewable energy, you can very easily get repaid in a couple of years allowing you to run your homes and charge your electric cars for free.
As mentioned above, the prices of EV charging points vary depending on several factors with an average system costing around £250 to £500, while the more advanced systems going up to £800 to £1,000.
Top that up with a couple of thousand pounds for a solar panel system and you get yourself a pretty substantial amount to spend.
However, if you look at the money you spend on petrol to run a regular car, you’d be surprised by how much you might actually manage to save with EVs and solar power.
Also, let’s not forget how much it would contribute to making the environment cleaner and greener again – something that is absolutely priceless and so desperately needed!
At Calder Electrical, we can install EV chargers for domestic and commercial premises in line with the current regulations and can offer government incentives to reduce the installation costs. We are an authorised and registered OLEV installer and our charge points come with a 3-year warranty.
There are various chargers currently in the market and it can be a little confusing to choose the best one for your home. Our team can visit you and survey your house to help determine your needs and requirements.
We will take out the hassle and provide you with the most suitable and affordable option, ranging from standard systems to smart chargers that are becoming increasingly popular.
We offer all kinds of different options to choose from such as wall-mounted to freestanding pedestal units with different kinds of charging speeds.
Also, if you already have solar panels or a wind turbine installed in your residential or commercial premises, installing a battery storage system could help maximise the benefits of making your own energy.
We can assess the amount your solar panels produce and install enough battery storage so that you can minimise any wastage of the energy you create. This will help lower your energy bills and make you more independent from using energy from the grid.
Contact us here or call us on 0800 612 3001 for a quick consultation with our industry experts!
Photo by Charlotte Stowe on Unsplash
The shift towards Electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK is a huge stepping stone in tackling the energy crisis and minimising carbon emissions.
Cars are one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases and controlling their emissions means controlling a huge chunk of air pollution.
In addition to being better for the environment, EVs are generally better cars than their fossil-fuelled counterparts. They can accelerate more quickly, have nearly no moving parts, are noiseless, are not susceptible to as much wear and tear, and have low running and maintenance costs.
Although EVs are considered an environment-friendly option due to zero exhaust emissions, they are still responsible for contributing to greenhouse gases if they are charged using conventional sources of energy, such as from the electricity grid.
If you wish to go completely green, you need to look into renewable energy sources such as solar power to charge your electric car.
Read on to find out if solar panels can charge your electric car and how they can help contribute towards a greener environment:
The simple answer to that is yes! Electric vehicles and solar panels are like a match made in heaven – both created to reduce dependence on non-renewable resources and help keep our planet clean and green.
By charging your electric car using a solar PV system installed in your home, you can make substantial savings on your EV running costs and reduce your carbon footprint using 100% clean solar energy.
In addition to reducing carbon emissions, you will have the ability to charge your EV free of cost, making solar panels a perfect accessory for your electric car.
By switching to an electric car, you are already taking a positive step towards conserving the planet’s renewable resources and protecting the environment, and combining that with clean energy will maximise the impact even further.
Though the initial cost of investing in a solar panel system is relatively high, it has numerous benefits and is considered by many EV owners as pre-buying their fuel for the next few years.
Also, if you look at its long-term running costs and the cost-savings that it provides you with, the initial cost of investment is quickly repaid by charging your electric cars practically for free!
Before you determine the amount of solar energy and the specific number of solar panels needed to charge your electric car, you need to find out the capacity of your EV’s battery and the amount of energy each solar panel is producing.
There are a few other factors that need to be taken into consideration such as how many miles you drive, the way you drive, and the amount of sun you get in a day.
An electric car’s battery capacity is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and can range anywhere between 12-kWh to 100-kWh or higher. As a reference, let’s look at the Nissan Leaf, one of the most popular EVs in the UK, which has a 40-kWh battery.
The amount of energy produced by an individual solar panel is dependent on its size, material, and efficiency, among a few other factors. An average domestic solar installation in the UK is around 4-kW with 16 250-watt panels and an estimated surface area of 25.6m2.
A standard domestic solar panel installation of 16 to 20 panel is adequate to charge your electric car and is a very realistic figure for EV owners.
You can follow these four easy steps to figure out the size of your solar panel system to suit both your domestic electricity needs as well as your EV charging requirements:
In the UK, a standard-sized domestic solar PV system is enough to power both your home and provide the energy to charge your electric car.
This would be an ideal solution if you happen to keep your car at home during the day for it to charge using solar energy.
However, since most of us need to use the car during the daytime and only get time during the night to recharge the car, this presents an issue since there is no sunshine at night to charge the car with.
Here’s where solar battery storage systems come to the rescue. You can easily store the electricity generated during the day in these batteries and use it absolutely whenever you want, regardless of whether the sun is shining or not.
The excess electricity produced by the solar panels during the day is stored in them which can be used to power the lights, charge electric vehicles (EVs), and other electricity-dependent devices.
The amount of solar energy a battery can store depends on the capacity of the battery, and the higher the capacity, the more energy it can store.
The typical cost for solar battery storage systems in the UK ranges between £1,200 and £6,000 depending on the type of battery, its capacity, and life cycle.
The price might seem a bit high but, much like solar panels, solar batteries will also adopt the same price drop when the systems become more widespread. The trend is already showing as more and more people are investing in battery storage systems.
Proper installation of solar battery storage systems is very important since the inability to install them correctly can pose serious safety threats resulting in electric shocks, fires, burns, and explosions.
The systems can be mounted on a wall, kept standing on the floor, placed inside, or installed outside. If they are designed to be installed outside, they need to be weatherproof and able to withstand harsh weather conditions such as heat, rain, and snow.
Outside installation includes access for electrical wiring to be laid out and an area not under direct sunlight or near heat to avoid the system from overheating.
Ventilation is a major factor to consider when installing both inside or outside, and it is recommended that the system not be placed in a habitable room such as a bedroom or living room, or areas of work such as offices in a commercial setting.
It is best to discuss these key installation points with your certified electrician to get a professional opinion based on your particular requirements.
As of January 2021, there were 20,775 public EV chargers in the UK and the numbers keep rising rapidly as the demand for EVs increases.
However, despite the surge in public charging stations all over the country, if you are an electric car owner or are interested in buying one, you should look into installing an EV charging port at your home as it can result in huge cost savings in the long-run.
There are several benefits of powering your electric car from the comfort of your home. For starters, home charging ports provide a convenient way for EV owners to fuel their electric car without the need to find a public charging station.
It is a relatively cheaper option and if you wish to save even more money and opt for something more environment-friendly, you can use solar energy to power your EV.
To efficiently charge an EV using solar energy, you’ll need to install a home EV charging unit and a PV inverter unit to convert solar energy into electricity.
Home electric car charging points need to be professionally installed by a certified charging provider, with the installation process including mounting the charging point on an exterior wall or garage.
The setup needs to be near to where the EV is parked since most cables run between 15 to 25 feet long. If the distance is more than that, the installer may have to extend the cables which might incur additional charges.
The price of a domestic EV charger installation is around £800. However, it may vary depending on the installer, manufacturer, and speed of the charger.
A typical 3-kW system is priced at £250 – £500, while a 7-kW charger is priced at £450 – £800. The cost to charge an EV at home is about £8.40 for a full charge and is the most cost-effective and convenient way.
You can also get a government grant of up to £350 to offset the installation costs if you fall within the eligibility criteria of the EV Homecharge Scheme (EVHS).
To qualify for the EVHS, you must:
According to the law, as of 1st July 2019, to qualify for a government-funded grant, all charge points must use smart technology so that they can be remotely accessed and help reduce high demands of electricity for the consumer at peak times, and to encourage the use of solar and off-peak charging.
The main difference between a traditional charging system and a smart charger is that the latter enables the EV, the EV charger, and the EV charger owner/operator to share a data connection, allowing the owner/operator to remotely monitor, manage, and restrict the use of the chargers to optimise energy consumption.
Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs), or regular gas and petrol-fuelled cars, take hardly a few minutes to fuel up, and with fuel stations present at every corner, it becomes even more convenient.
What about electric cars? How long does it take to charge them? Well, it depends on two main factors:
EVs come in different sizes and the same goes for the batteries that they are built with. Just as different cars have different sized fuel tanks, electric cars also have different sized batteries. The bigger the size of the battery, the longer it would take for it to charge.
Step one in knowing how long it would take is to know how many kilowatt-hours the car battery can hold.
Step two is knowing the strength of your available power supply as you can only charge the battery as fast as the electricity can pass through the charging cable.
The charging ability of the cable is dependent on the level of the charger you are using, i.e., Level 1 or Level 2.
A Level 2 charging station with a 240-volt connection will charge your EV at a much faster rate than a Level 1 charger plugged directly into a standard household unit.
A Level 2 charger requires a dedicated circuit in your home to charge your EV and is quicker and safer than a Level 1 charger that always carries the risk of overloading and causing the circuit breaker to shut off.
It is a known fact that solar panels have a high initial cost. It is also a known fact that due to the many benefits and cost-savings related to your own generated renewable energy, you can very easily get repaid in a couple of years allowing you to run your homes and charge your electric cars for free.
As mentioned above, the prices of EV charging points vary depending on several factors with an average system costing around £250 to £500, while the more advanced systems going up to £800 to £1,000.
Top that up with a couple of thousand pounds for a solar panel system and you get yourself a pretty substantial amount to spend.
However, if you look at the money you spend on petrol to run a regular car, you’d be surprised by how much you might actually manage to save with EVs and solar power.
Also, let’s not forget how much it would contribute to making the environment cleaner and greener again – something that is absolutely priceless and so desperately needed!
At Calder Electrical, we can install EV chargers for domestic and commercial premises in line with the current regulations and can offer government incentives to reduce the installation costs. We are an authorised and registered OLEV installer and our charge points come with a 3-year warranty.
There are various chargers currently in the market and it can be a little confusing to choose the best one for your home. Our team can visit you and survey your house to help determine your needs and requirements.
We will take out the hassle and provide you with the most suitable and affordable option, ranging from standard systems to smart chargers that are becoming increasingly popular.
We offer all kinds of different options to choose from such as wall-mounted to freestanding pedestal units with different kinds of charging speeds.
Also, if you already have solar panels or a wind turbine installed in your residential or commercial premises, installing a battery storage system could help maximise the benefits of making your own energy.
We can assess the amount your solar panels produce and install enough battery storage so that you can minimise any wastage of the energy you create. This will help lower your energy bills and make you more independent from using energy from the grid.
Contact us here or call us on 0800 612 3001 for a quick consultation with our industry experts!
Photo by Charlotte Stowe on Unsplash
