Powering Electric Vehicles with Solar Energy

With continuing gasoline price increases, Electric Vehicles (EVs), like the Nissan Leaf (shown on right), present the possibility of a fresh, clean, and affordable alternative to conventional gasoline powered internal combustion engine vehicles. The prospect of further increases in the cost and use of more gasoline presents a challenge to our transportation budgets and an increasing threat to our energy security.

Powering EVs with electricity generated from the sun by using photovoltaic (PV) systems gives us a clean and sustainable means to approach the economic, political, and environmental threats. We continue to face these threats by using more and more domestic and imported gasoline as global demand for transportation continues to increase. Some people wonder if PV is an affordable alternative to using utility grid electricity, but PV can be and is affordable now with incentives.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing in lowering the cost of PV. DOE predicts that the cost of solar generated electric energy, without subsidies, will be at parity with more conventional electric generation costs by the year 2015. However, you need not wait until then, because with incentives now available to many people, the cost of using PV to power EVs is affordable and can even save you money. You can check the numbers by opening or saving this Excel spreadsheet calculator: EV+PV calculator.