One homeowner living in a homeowners association went to Reddit for advice when they wanted to charge their electric vehicle with solar panels.
In particular, they hoped for a solution they could implement themselves, which is why they posted in the r/SolarDIY subreddit.
"I've seen some home kits with ground-mounted solar panels that could hook up to a battery system," they said. "Has anyone used anything that could be enough power to charge an EV?"
They had solid reasons for wanting to change their lifestyle. "Electric rates in the U.S. are out of control," they said.
However, their neighborhood was a roadblock. "We cannot get home solar on roof due to HOA rules," they added.
More and more people are turning to solar energy because it is one of the best ways to save money on utility bills. Not only can it power your home and wipe out the need for energy from the grid with a powerful enough system, but it can even provide free or low-cost charging for an electric vehicle, allowing you to eliminate gas costs as well.
EnergySage offers free tools to help you find a solar installer in the area, easily comparing quotes between providers.
Commenters suggested that the original poster first verify whether the HOA even had the authority to forbid rooftop solar panels.
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"Check your state laws," said one user. "Indiana's law overrides HOAs on solar. They can't take that from you here. Other states might be the same."
Other commenters offered practical advice for implementing the OP's original idea.
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Save $1,000 this year 💸 "The idea of pairing ground-mounted solar with a battery system to charge an EV fits many of the hybrid inverter setups out there," said another commenter. "Note that generally home batteries are way smaller than your EV battery, and my system mainly relies on net metering for me to be able to export excess energy during the solar production and then pull it back to charge my vehicle in the evening."
If you'd like to make a similar switch yourself, start with EnergySage's free services, which can help you save up to $10,000 on your installation. You can get a sense of the prices in your area by checking out its helpful mapping tool, which breaks down average cost by state, as well as detailing the incentives that are available in your location to offset that cost.
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For even more protection during outages, independence from the grid, and greater savings due to the ability to time your usage, you can add battery storage to your solar setup. EnergySage's tools also include information about home battery storage, including installation estimates.
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