In recent years, more and more public e-car charging stations have been built because electric cars are becoming more popular every year. They also owe their popularity to the fact that their maintenance is very favorable, and in many places they could be charged for free. However, as a result of last year's price increase in energy, gas and electricity prices, the charging of electric cars became significantly more expensive at the beginning of January, and the previously free charging was discontinued in most places. But what does this have to do with solar panels?
With solar panels, cheap electricity can be produced, which we can also use for "refueling" in our homes. It is true that it may cease from January 1, 2024 based on current information annual balance settlement for solar panels, and replaced by the monthly balance or gross settlement takes place, however, in the case of both the monthly balance and the gross settlement, charging e-cars at home offers itself as a perfect solution.
Public charging has become more expensive
One of the popular e-car charging networks not only raised its prices significantly at the beginning of the year, but also replaced the previously uniform fixed tariffs with individual tariffs. Based on this, the most common 22-kilowatt AC charger cost 145 forints per kilowatt-hour, but now you have to pay between 170 and 375 forints.
The service provider, which also has a nationwide gas station network, raised its prices already in November. For registered customers, AC charging with a power of 11 and 43 kilowatts became HUF 149 per kilowatt hour, while the price increased to HUF 179 for DC charging with a power of 50 and 75 kilowatts or more. And from February, the charging fees at this service provider's electric car chargers will rise again, by about 60 percent. If we are registered customers, we have to pay HUF 249 for 1 kWh for AC charging with a power of 11 and 43 kW. In the case of the DC charging service with a power of 50 and 75 kW or more, the price of 1 kWh is HUF 289, and the minute fee for DC charging of at least 100 kW increases from HUF 150 to HUF 415.
If, on the other hand, we charge at home, we do not have to face the cost increase, in fact, the cost of charging the car can be completely replaced with a solar system.
Charging at home is currently the cheapest way to operate an e-car
To charge an e-car with your own solar energy, you need a solar panel system and a home charger if you also want fast charging. Remember, only our own solar panel system can guarantee that almost free energy flows into the car's battery. It is important that our solar panel system is large enough to provide enough power for both the house and the car. But how much capacity is enough?
Through an example, we show how we can calculate the performance of a solar panel system suitable for supplying a household and an electric car:
If we drive 15,000 kilometers per year, during which our electric car consumes 3,000 kWh and we find 4,000 kWh on our electricity bill from last year, which does not yet include e-car charging, then our expected annual consumption together with the car will be a total of 7,000 kWh. An approx. A 6.5 kWp solar panel system can produce approximately 7,000 kWh of energy per year, which e.g. Calculating with 16 410 Wp solar panels, it requires 35 m2 of roof surface.
But why should we charge our e-car with a solar cell?
Because the combination of an electric car and your own solar system makes sense from an economic and ecological point of view. Moreover, in the long term, it is more and more certain that with the introduction of internal combustion engines, electric cars will appear in every household. This way, this question will be impossible for almost anyone to avoid.
Staying with the above example, if the annual 3,000 kWh electricity needed to charge the car is produced with the solar system, the avoided public charging costs will definitely exceed half a million HUF annually. Taking into account the saved cost of charging the electric car, the payback of the solar system improves significantly and can even be reduced to 5-6 years - even in the case of monthly balance settlement.
Do they save on energy costs? Do you have your MGT, but are you looking for a contractor? Request our individually tailored offer for the installation of a residential or corporate solar system with a few clicks, by filling out our form.