Thanks for supporting #DriveElectric week! Did you know that 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. come from transportation vehicles?  Transforming the transportation sector to run on green, clean electrons is vital to improving our environment and addressing climate change. Fortunately, the solution is within our reach with solar-generated electric charging stations for your electric car. Whether it is a charging station or extra solar panels, StraightUp Solar has your solutions for a cleaner ride.

Installing Electric Car Chargers for Homes

Have you recently purchased an electric car and need a charger to be installed?  A local electrician can install 240-volt fast chargers, twice the speed of the typical 120-volt cords standard with your electric vehicle purchase. For all full battery-electric cars, like the Nissan Leaf or Tesla, we recommended a 240-volt fast charger. Occasionally there may be an opportunity to install a direct current (DC) charger to get the fastest charging speeds, however, you should consult the installer early on in the process to ensure your system can handle the high voltage.

 Installing Solar for Your Electric Vehicle – How Many Panels Do You Need?

First question, how much do you drive? Second, which electric car do you drive, or are planning on purchasing? Once you have both pieces of this information go to: https://www.fueleconomy.gov. Search for your car, and look at the amount of kWh/100 miles. Once you know your yearly mileage driven, divide it by 100. Then multiply it by the amount of kWhs, as indicated by the website to determine the total amount of energy to power your car.

A standard electric car uses about 30 kWh/100 miles. If you drive 11,000 miles a year, you use 3,300 kWh per year. To offset this usage you would need approximately a 2.5 kW solar array, depending on your roof orientation and shading. You might even have enough generation from your current array to account for the added energy required from your new electric charging stations. Either way we can help you with these calculations and help develop the solar array that will work for you.

Thinking About Batteries?

If you want to go all in to control your energy usage, batteries may be the solution for you. With batteries, you can store your energy to power your vehicle whenever you want. For example, if you want to charge your car with solar power at night, batteries do that. Alternatively, net metering can offset the energy you use at night with the energy produced during the day.

Whether you are just looking, or have purchased an electric car and you are ready to take the leap, StraightUp Solar is here to help you find the solution that works for you and to inspire solar in your neighborhood and community.