gergg said:I've read through these threads and still have a question.....Approx. how much would one have to spend to get enough solar panel power to fully charge a Leaf every day? And what would that equate to in solar panel lingo?
Frankly, I don't think this question can be answered accurately without knowing your location (which city). This is because the amount of sunlight is drastically different at different locations. On top of that, if you plan to put the panels on your rooftop, the elevation and azimuth of your roof will also make a big difference. Finally, it would be good to know how far you plan to drive the LEAF each year. If you provide that information, we should be able to give a pretty accurate estimate. Better yet, perhaps someone near you can give you details on how their system performs.gergg said:I've read through these threads and still have a question.....Approx. how much would one have to spend to get enough solar panel power to fully charge a Leaf every day? And what would that equate to in solar panel lingo?
True....I live near Atlanta, will drive the Leaf approx 15,000 miles/year, my house has great South facing area with little shading.Frankly, I don't think this question can be answered accurately without knowing your location (which city). This is because the amount of sunlight is drastically different at different locations. On top of that, if you plan to put the panels on your rooftop, the elevation and azimuth of your roof will also make a big difference. Finally, it would be good to know how far you plan to drive the LEAF each year. If you provide that information, we should be able to give a pretty accurate estimate. Better yet, perhaps someone near you can give you details on how their system performs.
O.K. That's the main information we need. The U.S. Government has maintained a database of solar insolation for the past 40-odd years and they have nice resources to help you calculate the electricity production you might expect. The simplest calculator is PVWATTS. I put in the data I used for MY array into your location to see how your insolation compared with mine and it looks like your annual production predicted by PVWATTS is about 12% better than it predicts for us here in Virginia (assuming your roof points directly South and your roof pitch is 8:12 (33.69 degrees) elevation). My array is 9.87 kW and you can see the performance I have been getting by clicking on the link below in my signature. You can scale from my numbers by adding 12% and also adjusting for size to see what a similar system would do for you. (Note that your production only scales 12% on an ANNUAL basis, not month-to-month. For instance, in June, our systems are predicted to produce the same amount, since your temperatures are hotter. In the wintertime, your numbers are much better, however.) Note that if your roof pointing is within about 15 degrees of the boresight I used, then the annual production numbers are within about 1 percent or so of being accurate.gergg said:True....I live near Atlanta, will drive the Leaf approx 15,000 miles/year, my house has great South facing area with little shading.
You are joking right? If not, I apologize, the discussion is about how many panels/cost one would need/expect on a home to power an EV, not panels on the roof of a Leaf.Sounds like a lot of money to add solar panels to the roof of a Leaf. I live in S. NV and park my car outside in the sun for approx. 8hrs. each day. I would love to be able to get an extra 20 miles of range by trickle charging it w/solar panels during this time. Does anyone have suggestions on how much this would cost me and where I should look for the solar panels? Thanks guys!
scottsleaf said:Sounds like a lot of money to add solar panels to the roof of a Leaf. I live in S. NV and park my car outside in the sun for approx. 8hrs. each day. I would love to be able to get an extra 20 miles of range by trickle charging it w/solar panels during this time. Does anyone have suggestions on how much this would cost me and where I should look for the solar panels? Thanks guys!
scottsleaf said:I really appreciate your post and 411. Call me crazy but I think if someone were to sell a portable solar panel that could be placed on top of a Leaf and charge your car it would be a GOLD MINE! Thanks again!
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