Charging an EV From Rooftop Solar in Punjab

Adding an electric vehicle changes a household’s electricity use more than almost anything else, so it deserves its own look when you size solar.

An EV charger is a big new load

A home EV charger draws a lot of power, often more than most of the other appliances in the house combined, and it keeps drawing it for hours at a time. If your solar was sized to your bill before the car arrived, adding the car without rechecking the sizing is a common mistake, and an easy one to avoid. The existing system may not make enough surplus to offset much of the new load.

When you charge matters

Solar generates in daylight, while most people plug their EV in overnight, out of habit or simply because that is when the car is parked. To get real benefit from solar, you usually need to move at least some charging into the day, when the car is at home and the panels are generating. That means changing when you charge, as well as what you install.

Housing societies: the subsidy already covers this

If your housing society is thinking about shared EV charging points, PM Surya Ghar’s ₹18,000-per-kW society subsidy covers EV charging, along with lifts, common lighting and pumps. Our housing society subsidy guide explains how the society’s claim works.

What solar can and can’t do for an EV

Charging straight from solar only works while the panels are producing more than the rest of the house is using, say on a sunny midday with the car plugged in. Most home EV charging will still draw from the grid at some point. Solar lowers the net cost of running the car, but the car still depends on the grid, and a promise of free charging from your roof won’t hold up.

Sizing it properly

Tell us your current or planned system size and the EV charger’s rating. We’ll tell you whether your existing system can cover the charging or needs resizing, before anyone adds capacity.