Want to know how many solar panels to charge a Tesla at home? No worries. In this article we will discuss how to charge Tesla and how many panels are required to do so.
Technology is doing wonders for bringing ease to our lives. Now, by installing solar panels, you can say goodbye to costly electricity charges. These solar panels not only benefit your home but also your EVs.
After having thought of charging EVs at home, Tesla owners would wonder how many panels they would require to charge a Tesla. Well, that depends on various factors, for example, the model of the car, the size of the panel, the capacity of the energy generation, and the permanent weather of the area.
Let’s have a look at the factors in detail:
Model of the car:
Tesla has different car models, all of which have different energy capacities. So, their capacity for storage, along with other factors such as routine travel distance, would give us an idea of how many panels we need.
Here is a table of a few Tesla models and their energy capacities:
| Tesla model | Energy capacity |
| Tesla Model S | 100 kWh |
| Tesla Model 3 Long Range | 82 kWh |
| Tesla Model X | 100 kWh |
| Tesla model Y | 81 kWh |
Routine travel distance:
Tesla’s state of charge depends upon the miles it covers daily. A Tesla owner who drives 30 miles a day would have a different state of charge, and a person covering 50 miles with his car would have a different requirement.
Rating of the panels:
In the market, panels have different sizes and energy-producing capacities, such as 200 kWh, 250 kWh, and 300 kWh. This capacity shows how much energy a panel will produce in a day. The combination of their energy production in an hour and their daily consumption of energy by a Tesla will paint a clear picture for you.
Still confused? Don’t worry; we will do the math for you to understand more easily.
Productivity of solar panels:
In doing math for the final numbers of panels, you would have to consider the overall performance of the panel. The productivity of the panel largely depends on the condition of the photovoltaic cells. If they are absorbing the sun’s light efficiently and converting it into energy, that’s a positive sign. Otherwise, your panels are not generating enough energy.
That’s why the productivity of the panels lags.
Overall weather condition:
The efficiency of the panels also relies on the availability of daylight hours. In some areas, the sun remains for 6 hours, and in others, it remains for 4 hours. This directly affects energy production; the more sun your panels see, the more energy they would produce.
How many solar panels to charge a Tesla?
Finally, it’s time to do some math, relying on the information discussed above, for your understanding.
Let’s suppose the S model of Tesla has 100 kWh of energy capacity.
Roughly, you can travel around 390 to 400 miles with such capacity. For a clear understanding, we go with 400 miles. If you travel 20 miles a day, that represents 5% of total energy consumption, correct? So, that’s your daily requirement from the panels.
A 400-kWh solar panel would generate 0.40 kWh of electricity per hour. Now let’s suppose we need 20 kWh of energy a day, and depending on the sunlight hours, we have 6 hours of proper sunlight.
Now simply divide your daily requirement by the total number of hours of sunlight:
20,000 watts (20 kWh)/6 = 3333.33 watts.
Now if you are looking for a 400 kWh panel, divide 3333.33 by 400.
3333.33/400 = approximately 9 panels.
So, to meet the daily requirement of 3333.33 watts, you will need to have 9 panels with a rating of 400 kWh.
We hope that this has brought satisfaction to your face.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, you have to consider a lot of factors when deciding on a solar panel. Sometimes, it’s better to consult the company you hired for panels because this will do the math for you and guide you properly. We wish you the best of luck.