Whilst electric cars are defined as vehicles producing zero emissions, there is still an environmental impact associated with fuelling them. This is because, currently, the majority of electric vehicles are charged with power from the National Grid.
According to Carbon Brief, 2023 saw energy generated using fossil fuels fall to its lowest level since 1957. However, this still accounted for around a third of the UK’s electricity needs.
There is, however, some good news for electric vehicle owners who want to keep their environmental impact to a minimum. Advancements in solar panel technology mean that it’s now possible to charge your vehicle using clean, renewable energy from sunlight.
Using solar panels to charge electric vehicles
As technology has advanced in recent years, the ease with which solar panels can be installed and the amount of energy that they can generate has improved significantly. This makes them a more accessible and viable option.
Now, the amount of power that can be generated depends on two main factors – the number of solar panels that are installed and the weather. However, generally speaking, between six and ten solar panels should generate enough energy to charge an electric vehicle with an average-sized battery.
It can be beneficial to meet with solar panel installers Weston, such as https://redbridgeandsons.co.uk/solar-pv-panels/solar-panel-installers-weston, to discuss your needs and select the solar panel system that will work best for you.
Things to Consider
If you want to charge your electric vehicle overnight, you will also need to install a battery that will store the energy generated by your solar panel system. This will come with additional costs.
The amount of time it takes to charge an electric vehicle using solar energy will vary depending on the size of your vehicle’s battery and the speed at which your system is able to charge. To give you an idea of the amount of time charging might take, the average domestic solar panel system will generate up to 4 kWp, which has the ability to charge a 40 kWh electric vehicle battery in under nine hours.