Charging EVs in parking lots with solar power is a marriage made in heaven. But the general rule for any solar or charging installation is that it be grid tied, so it can charge vehicles from the grid when the sun is not shining, and feed excess power back to the grid when the cars are not charging. In spite of that, a company named Beam Global is selling solar charging stations for parking lots with batteries and claims they are more cost effective in many cases to grid connection. That should not be true if it were just about electrical engineering. If cars aren’t charging, or they are nearly full, or if batteries in the charging station are nearly full, any solar power produced at that time will simply be thrown away. That means it won’t offset the use of fossil power on the grid, and it’s also an economic loss. Work parking lots are often empty on the weekend, and cars have varying needs. Read original article here.
