How many solar panels do you need for electric driving?

To calculate the amount of solar panels, we'll first look at how many kilowatt-hours you need per year to charge. We express the energy consumption of an electric car in kilowatt-hour (kWh) per 100km. An electric car consumers between 15 and 20kWh per 100km on average, depending on the car type and your driving style. You consume less with a small car than with a large car, for example.

Let's say you drive 11,000km per year and your car consumes 16kWh per 100km. You'll consume 11,000 / 100 x 16 = 1760kWh per year to charge your electric car.

A single 430Wp solar panel generates about 300kWh in the Netherlands. The real yield depends on the weather, the position of your roof, and the shadows cast on your house. To calculate how many solar panels you need, divide your yearly consumption by the yield of 1 solar panel. For 11,000km, you need about 1760 / 300 = 6 panels.

There are many advantages to solar panels. You save on your energy bill, because you use less gray energy from the power grid, for example. Charging your electric car on a sunny day? You use the energy you generated yourself, so you pay less for a full battery. You can easily set a charging schedule with Smart Charging, to automatically charge your car during the day. Want to know if a solar roof fits on your roof? Request a free advice appointment with one of our advisors.