All you need to know about EV solar charging

The kilometres driven with an electric vehicle are cheaper and cleaner than those driven by an internal combustion engine. However, few know that charging an EV completely free of charge and emissions is totally possible today. The answer lies in charging your vehicle with self-produced solar power.

In this blog, we will tell you everything you need to know about charging your EV with 100% sunshine. Continue reading to learn how solar charging works, what are its benefits and how you can start using it!

What is solar charging?

We at Synergi have built a new app feature that allows you to use the energy produced by your solar panels to charge your EV automatically. It goes by the name of solar charging.

Since charging EVs uses a lot of electricity, pairing them with solar power is ideal. With solar charging, you can optimize charging during sunny hours when free and emission-free electricity is available. Solar charging works with most electric vehicles with just our software, requiring no additional hardware. This means solar charging works with any charger!

One of the most common misconceptions about solar panels is that there needs to be more sunshine in the north to power your own production. However, a standard 10 kW solar power system can produce around 8,500 kWh of electricity annually, even in Finland. That amount already covers a large portion of an average home’s yearly consumption, approximately 19,000 kWh annually. This feature is ideal for anyone who owns solar panels and an electric vehicle and wants to use a portion of their solar energy production to charge their car.

What are the benefits of solar charging?

Solar charging is worthwhile for many reasons, both financial and non-financial. Below is a list highlighting some of these benefits for EV and solar panel owners:

• Savings The electricity you generate is completely free, so you don't have to pay anything for the kilowatts you charge. By charging your EV with solar energy you can save around €150 per year in transmission fees and charge your car for free. These numbers are according to Finnish consumption stats.
• Clean energy The electricity used for solar charging is 100% produced by your own solar panels, so it is guaranteed to be completely emission-free!
• Self-sufficiency Solar charging allows you to drive on the electricity you produce yourself. No matter how much the electricity costs, EV drivers can enjoy self-sufficiency and self-produced power.
• Automatic timing Synergi automatically manages the timing of EV charging, eliminating the need for constant manual monitoring of solar production or electricity prices.
• Grid balancing Solar charging improves the resilience of the electrical grid because it enables electricity consumption and generation to occur simultaneously. This maximises the use of locally produced renewable energy - which is great for the electrical grid.

How can I start solar charging?

To start solar charging, you will need an electric vehicle and your own solar panel setup at home. If you have an EV but are not sure about installing solar panels at home, check out this blog post on 7 reasons why people are going solar that may convince you. If you have both already, getting started is super simple:

1. Connect your devices
   ‍Download the Synergi app and connect your electric vehicle and solar inverter.
2. Set your preferences
   ‍Determine the power (kW) at which the electric vehicle will begin charging. This is influenced by the estimated baseline consumption of the rest of the household. Usually, users set a limit of one to three kilowatts. Additionally, you can choose to have the car fully charged by a specific time of day, regardless of whether solar energy is still available.
3. Enable solar charging
   ‍Everything is now ready, and solar charging can be activated with just the click of a button!
4. Take advantage of the savings and convenience!
   Synergi sends a command to the car to start charging when the output of the solar panels exceeds the set kilowatt limit. If the solar energy production falls below the production threshold, Synergi instructs the vehicle to stop charging.

EV solar charging makes your life easier

With Synergi solar charging, our app intelligently manages the charging process and ensures that your EV is charged when solar energy production is at its peak. You can let the app do all the work while maximizing the value of your solar panel investment by consuming your own electricity production in the best possible way.