A home solar system and an electric car are a perfect match in California! The primary cost for “fueling” an electric car is the electricity that you consume to recharge its batteries. But when you have a SunPower photovoltaic system installed by Solaron of Sacramento, you can now get your electric car recharged for free! This is perhaps the major advantage behind the solar panel and electric car combo, but there are other reasons to consider this the perfect match.
Store that Energy!
Many of our clients choose to install their home solar system without a battery bank that stores unused electricity. The reason for this is that it simply reduces the price of the installation and it also makes your solar system almost maintenance free. It’s a simple fact that batteries require monitoring and eventual replacement and many of our customers simply do not want to deal with that. Other customers would rather see their extra electricity go into the utility grid, so that they can receive some compensation.
Many are still interested in getting an electric car, however, for the benefits we mentioned in our introduction. And what powers that electric car? A battery does, of course! So getting an electric car is a great way of storing the power generated by your solar panels for later use. It’s like having a moving battery bank! At this time, it is true that the electricity stored can only be used to power your car, but the future may hold other uses.
Emergency Power from Your EV
After the tsunami disaster of 2011 in Japan, electricity was in great demand due to the calamity at the Fukushima power station. As a result, Mitsubishi engineers developed converters that could use electric cars to provide electricity for critical appliances. Other Japanese automotive engineering teams likewise worked on similar technology and have developed a number of these systems for specific cars. While these converters are not yet available for the general public, their production and sale is expected in the future.
So imagine that whenever you had a power outage, your electric car could be used to keep your food from spoiling in the refrigerator! During the day, the battery in your car could be charged, making the energy available at night when you need it to keep essential appliances running. Although not available at this moment, this is one of the potential future benefits of a solar system and electric car combo.
For more information about how you can use the power of the sun to charge your electric car, talk to a Solaron technician and ask for a free consultation. We design solar systems to meet the needs of our customers and the space available with their home. Solaron — we’re helping you to create energy for life!