Best Residential Solar Compatible EV Chargers: The Complete Guide For The UK

A few combinations are as compelling as the coupling of solar panels with an EV charge point. The end result is significant savings and a real positive impact on the environment!

The benefits of renewable energy, in particular, solar and wind energy is already well established in the UK and across Europe and other parts of the world. With the increase in sales of electric vehicles (EVs) over the past three years, the benefits of using clean and renewable energy has been further enhanced.

Firstly, on-site renewable energy can be used for powering homes. For on-site generation, we have witnessed a significant increase in distributed clean energy generating plants i.e. many residential buildings have become generators i.e. generating electricity on-site! Solar roof projects have been popular for such on-site generation projects, but small-scale wind energy has is also being used.

The ongoing war in Ukraine has further amplified the need to develop energy security, not only at a national level, but also at a local level, to include, businesses and households. Those households that already generate and consume clean energy on-site have been spared the significant onslaught of energy price rise in 2022, which is expected to continue in 2023.

Installing solar panel on-site, mitigates the risks associated with energy price inflation, a significant contributor to costs for a household. On-site renewable energy generation also impacts the environment positively. For those with electric vehicles, in particular, pure electric vehicles, we strongly encourage the use of renewable energy for charging. Of course, we also encourage the use of solar energy for charging a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

Apart from the significant cost benefit i.e. generating renewable energy is a nominal cost per kWh (after initial installation costs), to achieve true zero-tailpipe emission electric driving, renewable energy needs to be used for EV charging. This is also known as ‘well-to-wheel’. Just one electric car on the road can save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2. The good news for electric car owners is that a number of EV charging stations are now compatible with solar/ wind generation and battery storage.

We encourage households to adopt an on-site ecosystem of ‘renewable energy-battery-storage-EV charging’ onsite, to gain the maximum from the advantage of low carbon generation and zero-emission electric driving. Bottom-line, renewable energy is good for the environment and the wallet!

We are not new to solar energy in the UK, and in particular, residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Over the past decade, a number of home owners in the UK have installed solar panels on their roof. This growth has continued through 2022, with a continued increase in the deployment of solar panels in the UK residential market. Homes with solar panels source the electricity primarily from the rooftop solar PV system and not the grid i.e. power is generated and utilised at the residential building.

In general, despite the significant increase in the availability of SMART home EV charging stations in the UK, only a few charge point manufacturers have developed EV charging points compatible with residential solar panels. However, this is now fast changing, as consumers demand for solar compatible EV charge points is on the increase.

myenergi, a UK developer and manufacturer of high quality EV charging station is fast being recognised for the solar compatibility of its flagship EV charge point, the zappi EV charge point. The EV charge point is available for single-phase and three-phase supply, but given that most homes in the UK are supplied with single-phase, we have highlighted below the zappi 7 kW (single phase) EV charger.

Of course for homes that do not have battery storage, the best time to charge an electric vehicle with solar energy will be during the day. During the night and on cloudy days, when solar energy is either not available or solar generation is low, the EV charger will automatically draw electricity from the main grid during the charging session. We recommend homeowners to also install an energy storage battery, as most EV owners charge the EV overnight.

The time taken to charge a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) using solar, will depend on a number of factors to include the size of the EV battery (kWh), the size of the residential PV system, and the real-time on-site solar energy generation (based on weather conditions).

The average residential solar system in the UK is 3.25 kWp and assuming a sunny day, limited load requirement from other household appliances, and an average EV battery size of 60 kWh, it could take up to 8 hours to charge up to 80% of the EV battery.

Installing a solar compatible EV charger, is really quite as straightforward as installing a standard EV charger. A suitability qualified installer is all you need. We at e-zoomed offer high quality installation at competitive prices. To receive a quotation, simple email us at shop@ezoomed.com.

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