Electric vehicle owners are finding a cleaner and cheaper way to charge at home: connect the car to rooftop solar, add battery storage, and let the system do the work.
That setup is getting more attention after Tesla owner Ryan Jay Cowan shared a short TikTok video showing how his home solar system, Tesla Powerwall 3, and Tesla electric vehicle work together. The feature allows extra solar power from his rooftop panels to charge his car automatically when that energy is not being used by his home or stored in his battery.
The idea is simple.
Use the sun during the day. Store what you need. Send the extra power to the car. Pay less to drive.
For homeowners with solar panels, battery storage, and an EV, this can turn the driveway into a private charging station powered by their own roof.
How the Solar-to-EV Setup Works
Cowan owns a Tesla Powerwall 3 and a Tesla vehicle. In his video, he explained that the system can detect when solar panels are producing more electricity than the home and battery need. Instead of sending all that extra power back to the grid, the Tesla app can direct some of it to the car.
That means the car charges from excess solar energy.
Cowan said that when the car is at home, the owner can plug it in and let the solar system, Powerwall, and car manage the charging. The app also gives the owner control over how much solar power goes to the vehicle compared with how much goes to the grid.
That control matters because every home is different.
Some people may want to send more power to the battery first, especially if outages are common. Others may want to charge the car first because they drive often. Some may want to export power to the grid when rates are favorable.
The feature gives the homeowner more say over where their energy goes.
Read more: Microgrid Media
