Achieve higher PV yields with forecast-based solar charging

Ongoing climate change is causing a huge shift in the mobility industry, so e-mobility is becoming increasingly important. The transport of the future should be sustainable and, above all, conserve valuable resources. Charging the e-car with electricity from fossil energy sources, e.g., from coal combustion, is anything but ecological and defeats the purpose of a good CO2 balance. The charging management of the electric car must be designed to charge as much clean and cheap electricity as possible, because the greener the electricity, the greener the e-car.

Below, you will find out what forecast-based solar charging is all about and how to coordinate the charging management of your e-car with the energy management of your building.

Connecting the PV system with an e-car

The e-car can be charged particularly sustainably with its own produced electricity. The decreasing feed-in tariff as well as rising electricity costs make the self-consumption of solar power increasingly attractive. Combining the solar system with an electric car is worthwhile because it increases the car's self-consumption rate and charges the vehicle in a resource-saving way using the power of the sun. In order to charge as cheaply and ecologically as possible, it is necessary to integrate solar power into the charging process.

Using weather data for solar charging

However, the dependence on fluctuations is problematic when generating electricity from regenerative energies – the solar power and the charging process are not coordinated with each other, as charging is only carried out with the power currently available and forecasts are not taken into account. However, this problem can be counteracted by coordinating the charging management of the e-car with the energy management of the building.

With an average power consumption of 2,500 kWh of electric trips, a 7-kWp solar system with appropriate storage can charge the e-car 80 percent of the time. This enables e-car charging cost savings of up to 50 percent compared to household electricity (EUPD Research).

Accessing vehicle data

To increase the self-consumption rate of the solar system, it is also beneficial to have access to vehicle data. By accessing this data, smart charging management can forecast the amount of solar output and reschedule charging operations. This is not only accompanied by security in terms of renewable energy fluctuations, but also enables higher cost savings.

Avoiding PV power intermittency

Even in the face of subsidized plants, a charging process that relies on forecasts is of great importance, as the solar feed-in power of some EEG plants is limited. This means that if too much power is produced, the power feed-in must be shut off. The solar plant then produces green electricity, literally, for free.

For e-mobility to prove its worth in the future, it requires a more comprehensive integration of the e-car into the energy management of buildings. Using as much renewable energy as possible goes hand in hand with an intelligent charging management system and its control of charging processes. Data-based systems in particular can ensure that the charging process is even more efficient and sustainable.