What Is Solar Compatibility (EV Charging)?

Solar compatibility lets a charger work alongside an on-site solar PV system, prioritising available solar generation for EV charging before drawing any remaining power from the grid.

How It Works

A solar-compatible charger monitors how much power the site's solar panels are generating and how much the rest of the property is using, typically via a CT clamp on the incoming supply. Any surplus solar generation — power the property isn't using itself — is routed to the EV first, rather than being exported to the grid for a much lower rate than it costs to buy power back later.

Charging speed then follows the sun: output ramps up as solar generation increases through the day and tapers off as it falls, or the charger can be set to only start once a minimum surplus is available.

What It Saves

Without solar compatibility, a charger simply pulls a fixed amount of power from the grid the moment it's switched on, regardless of what the solar panels are doing at that moment. Solar compatibility closes that gap, using power that's already been generated on-site instead of buying it from the grid and, in many markets, instead of exporting it for a lower feed-in rate than the retail price of electricity.

Neutron's Approach

Our home chargers support CT-based solar and surplus-export sensing, and integrate with Power Wall battery storage so any solar surplus beyond what the EV needs is stored on-site rather than exported.

Do I need a special charger for solar charging?

You need a charger that supports solar/surplus-export sensing via a CT clamp, either built in or added as an accessory. Any solar inverter can technically export to the grid alongside a charger, but without that sensing, the charger won't automatically prioritise using solar power first.

Will solar compatibility work with battery storage too?

Yes. Where a home or site also has battery storage, a well-configured system can prioritise solar for EV charging first, route any further surplus to the battery, and only draw from the grid once both are accounted for.