Can You Charge an Electric Car with Solar Panels? A Guide

Can an electric vehicle be charged with solar panels? Yes, but not directly: the panels produce the home's electricity, and the vehicle is charged by a charger (an AC wallbox or a cable plugged into a socket). In the solar panel EV charging approach, the system can be sized to cover the energy the vehicle consumes over the year. This article is purely an energy calculation for solar panel EV charging: we show, with Antalya data, how to get from monthly kilometres to kWh, and from there to the required kWp and number of panels.

How is solar panel EV charging calculated?

The calculation has three inputs: monthly kilometres, the vehicle's energy consumption per 100 km and charging losses. Consumption varies with the vehicle model, speed, load and weather; take your own vehicle's value from the manual or the vehicle display. In the example below we assume consumption of 17 kWh per 100 km and a 10% charging loss. These figures are example values and do not apply to every vehicle.

The formula is: monthly energy (kWh) = monthly km × 17 ÷ 100 × 1.10. If you divide annual energy by the 1,656 kWh/kWp that PVGIS gives for Antalya city centre, you find the required solar system capacity (kWp). This value is based on an ideal layout tilted at 33 degrees and facing south; on a real roof there can be losses.

Required panel capacity by monthly kilometres

For example, for a user who drives 1,000 km a month, vehicle charging comes to about 2,244 kWh a year, and about 1.36 kWp, that is three 605 W panels, is enough to cover it. This number of panels is for vehicle charging only; it must be added to the panel capacity that will cover the home's existing consumption. To calculate the home's total need you can look at our how many kW of solar panels do you need article and the calculation tool on our site.

Factors that affect the calculation

The table above assumes constant consumption; in reality vehicle consumption varies with driving conditions. High speed, a loaded vehicle, slopes and cold weather raise consumption. In summer, air-conditioning use also affects range and charging need. In Antalya the average temperature in July is 28.6 °C and the average maximum temperature is 34.2 °C (MGM, the Turkish State Meteorological Service); at this temperature, air conditioning can visibly increase vehicle consumption. So calculate consumption not as a single number but from your vehicle's real average in different seasons.

Charging loss is a separate item. The charger, the cable and the converter inside the vehicle turn part of the energy drawn into heat; in the example we took this as 10%. At slow charging (low current) the loss ratio can be higher. On the panel side, the system's own losses (cable, inverter, temperature) are already included in the PVGIS value as 14%. These two loss items must not be confused: one is the vehicle's charging loss, the other is the solar system's production loss.

Finally, clarify whether you charge the vehicle only at home or both at home and at work. If you charge at work, the home solar system does not cover that energy; the calculation should be done only for the kilometres charged at home. If you use public charging points, that energy is not related to your home system. For this reason, simplify your calculation to only the kilometres you charge at home; with mixed use, recording the real share of home charging for one month prevents wrong sizing.

Seasonal gap: how many panels for the same vehicle in winter?

According to PVGIS, 1 kWp of panels in Antalya produces 168 kWh in July and 99 kWh in December. A system sized on the annual average produces a surplus in summer and a shortfall in winter. If we consider the monthly charging need of 187 kWh for a single month, in July 187 ÷ 168 = about 1.11 kWp is needed, and in December 187 ÷ 99 = about 1.89 kWp. That is, about 70% more panel capacity is needed in winter for the same charging (calculation).

This gap can be resolved with annual net metering logic: in summer you feed the surplus to the grid, in winter you draw from the grid. For residential use, net metering is monthly; however, the value of surplus is calculated at the active energy unit price, which is lower than the total unit price on the bill. For this reason energy used through self-consumption is worth more (interpretation). For details you can look at our net metering rules article.

Is it possible to charge in solar hours?

The biggest difference between calculation and real life is timing. The sun produces in the daytime; most vehicle owners bring the vehicle home in the evening and charge at night. In that case there are three options:

• Grid net metering: Daytime production is fed to the grid and drawn back at night. For residential use, monthly net metering strikes this balance; however, the tariff and the value of surplus depend on the current regulation.
• Daytime charging: If the vehicle is parked at home or at work in the daytime, scheduling the charger for midday maximises self-consumption.
• Battery: A hybrid system with a battery stores daytime production and uses it in the evening. However, a vehicle battery is in the 40-60 kWh class; a home battery is usually between 5 and 30 kWh, so it cannot charge the vehicle on its own.

For non-residential subscriptions (businesses, hotels, factories), net metering is hourly from 1 May 2026. In that case a fleet that charges in the daytime uses the production directly and benefits more from hourly balancing (interpretation). Remember also that no payment is made for energy fed from the battery to the grid. For systems with batteries you can look at our hybrid solar energy system article.

Charging power, contracted capacity and grid capacity

Solar energy does not determine charging power; contracted capacity and wiring do. On a single-phase 230 V line, 16 A charging draws about 3.7 kW and 32 A charging about 7.4 kW. If your existing contracted capacity and wiring cannot take a high charging current, the charger's power should be limited. You need to talk about this with a licensed electrical installation specialist and the distribution company (AEDAŞ in Antalya).

In unlicensed solar systems too, capacity is limited by contracted capacity; the simplified procedure applies to rooftop systems up to 25 kW. No generation or sales limit applies to facilities on a residential subscription. In the application process, operating the system before acceptance leads to disconnection. In this article Solar Nexo deals only with the solar energy system (sizing and installation); for charger installation you need to work with licensed electrical installers.

When does solar panel EV charging make sense?

A solar system makes sense for an electric vehicle user when the home or business roof is suitable, the vehicle is parked in the daytime, or annual kilometres are high. As monthly kilometres rise, the panel capacity needed for charging increases linearly; so vehicle charging should be included as a separate item in the calculation. If the home's existing electricity consumption is already high (air conditioning, pool), these loads also increase daytime self-consumption.

Electricity tariffs are variable: EPDK (Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority) raised the residential tariff by 25% from 4 April 2026. Run the investment decision with the current tariff table and your real consumption. We do not give price estimates; for a firm quotation we can assess your load list and vehicle use together during the free site survey. You can also find how grid-connected solutions work on our net metering systems page.

Conclusion

Solar panel EV charging is a matter of energy balance: monthly kilometres, vehicle consumption and charging loss give annual kWh; dividing this by 1,656 kWh/kWp gives the required panel capacity. Timing (daytime charging, net metering, battery) determines how efficiently the system will be used. If you would like to settle the calculation for your own vehicle and roof, you can request a free site survey.

#Systems#Electric Vehicle#Home Charging#Solar Panel Calculation#Net Metering#Kwp Calculation