Electric cars are slowly taking over the automobile industry because of their reduced environmental impact compared to vehicles with a combustion engine. Now, scientists are using a photovoltaic system in charging electric cars to lessen their environmental impact further.
Researchers from ETH Zurich tested the rapidly increasing photovoltaics whether it is possible to enjoy the flexibility of a charged vehicle through a home photovoltaic system.
Photovoltaic System for Charging Electric Cars
One of the main reasons electric cars are gaining popularity these past few years is that they do not have an engine or exhaust. That means they do not produce toxic emissions compared to common vehicles with an exhaust, Driving Electric reported.
However, producing electricity to make electric cars work also limits factors that hinder their climate-friendly characteristics. For instance, electric cars in the UK are charged with power from the country's national grid, partly generated using fossil fuels that are not environment-friendly.
Although there is an alternative way to charge electric vehicles without relying on fossil fuels. This is through the photovoltaic system in homes or using solar panels to harness solar energy that will be used to power electric cars.
Harnessing solar energy can be possible by installing solar panels on the roof of the house. Although the amount of solar panels needed to charge an electric car depends on the size of its battery. For instance, about ten solar panels could generate electricity to charge an average-sized battery.
Electric Cars Charged in PV System As Flexible As Those Charged in the Main Grid
Despite the environmental benefits that photovoltaic system offers to electric car users, they are concerned about whether it offers the same flexibility as charging their units to the main grid.
In the new study, titled "Using Rooftop Photovoltaic Generation to Cover Individual Electric Vehicle Demand-A Detailed Case Study," published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, researchers showed that electric car owners can use their vehicles charged with photovoltaic power at home without restrictions and even without intermediate storage.
ETH Zurich researchers focused on 78 electric car users and tracked their usage whether the vehicles were driven or charging via a private charging station at home or using a photovoltaic system, TechXplore reported. Photovoltaic systems have a maximum charging capacity of 5 to 25 kW, enough to charge the car in full power in the sunshine.
The team observed four different charging strategies in which the most efficient is charging electric vehicles with a storage unit so electric cars can be driven almost exclusively using solar energy. However, they are ambivalent about intermediate storage because it can cause relevant quantities of carbon dioxide.
On the other hand, they pointed out that household consumption of photovoltaics can be slightly increased to reach a sustainable balance of the charging system as a whole. Currently, they are working on developing a machine learning strategy that can predict photovoltaic yield and user behavior as a basis for smart-charging algorithms that can be used as standard in charging stations for electric vehicles.
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