Solar PV inverters that have electric vehicle chargers built into them are not new, but this EV connection is different. It not only provides managed charging for the electric car, it can also use the electric vehicle’s battery to power the customer’s home during a power outage, and be recharged directly from the customer’s solar array.
- As with the other ChargeStar Utility Owned Battery, customers install the solar PV and DC plug portion of the system.
- The electric utility then installs the DC-to-AC inverter and transfer switch on the utility’s side of the meter and installs a DC plug on the inside of the garage for the customer’s electric vehicle.
- The plug can directly charge the car with high voltage DC from the output of the solar array on the roof.
- The electric car’s battery can also be used to provide emergency power to the home, or at the customer’s option, provide power back to the electric utility.
The initial ChargeStar EV system will utilize the CHAdeMO DC fast-chargers to connect to the electric vehicles. This is because CHAdeMO compatible electric vehicles have this open protocol and have two-way charging/discharging capabilities built into them (Nissan Leafs, Honda, Mitsubishi and others) https://www.chademo.com/technology/v2x/.
- PROBLEM – Under traditional net metering, electric utilities lose money on every solar installation. Net metering also makes it difficult for customers to power their entire home during an outage.
- SOLUTION – Customers install the solar modules down to a DC plug, then the utility handles the rest.
HOW IT WORKS
- Customers only install the solar array and are paid for 100% of their generation.
- Utility installs the battery for free and in exchange, gets the power when they need it
- Customers get emergency power when they need it.
- Connection is on the utility side of the meter.
- Dramatically lowers installation costs. No permitting fees, interconnection hassles; it’s plug-and-play all the way!
