[shirlock1]

Hi Folks
I am planning on getting a solar PV system and outfitting it with an inverter that has a port to plug into for 120 out. Thinking that This would allow me to charge in the middle of the day when I am making electricity. So what doeI want to be sure s this 120 out need to be capable of handling. I want to be sure that this system will do what I want it to do. I do not propose a storage wall (of batteries) or such just a way to directly charge my Pacifica without the issues of net metering and such. This would be a straight drop from the PV system. Any comments or information would be helpful.
Jim

 

[Tsnor]

Hi Folks
I am planning on getting a solar PV system and outfitting it with an inverter that has a port to plug into for 120 out. Thinking that This would allow me to charge in the middle of the day when I am making electricity. So what doeI want to be sure s this 120 out need to be capable of handling. I want to be sure that this system will do what I want it to do. I do not propose a storage wall (of batteries) or such just a way to directly charge my Pacifica without the issues of net metering and such. This would be a straight drop from the PV system. Any comments or information would be helpful.
Jim

This is *not* what you want to do. This describes an off-grid system that wastes power when there is sun and no car, and cannot supply enough power to charge your car when there is.

Instead you hook your panels to the electric box. The grid takes all the extra power you produce. And when you need to charge, day or night, you pull power from the grid. Google "net metering".

 

[shirlock1]

Clarifying my intensions

The plan was not to be off grid like the responder assumes but to have a fully functing solar OV set up
I plan to have an inverter with an output port for occasions that
might require a 120 feed when I have no connection to the grid (ie power outages) and then I thought that if I have this set up would it be sufficient to charge the Pacifica. That is the crux of the question

 

[toelke]

The plan was not to be off grid like the responder assumes but to have a fully functing solar OV set up
I plan to have an inverter with an output port for occasions that
might require a 120 feed when I have no connection to the grid (ie power outages) and then I thought that if I have this set up would it be sufficient to charge the Pacifica. That is the crux of the question

What inverter are you looking at?
SMA with secure power supply is quite possibly what you're looking at - and there's no benefit to using that outlet to charge your car as opposed to any other outlet in your house.
(With the exception of if there's an actual outage it could maybe charge the car)

If you have (or will have) net metering (most people in US do.)
then you are probably better off doing a 220V charger because it'll likely more efficient.
(At worst it's same efficiency - in which case you're just as well off using 220V as a 110V outlet.)

If you do a time-of-use rate charging at night (off-peak) could be significantly better than charging while the sun is shining.

 

[RobZ]

I agree that you are really over-thinking things. If your solar PV system is grid-tied, then taking the electrons from any outlet in the house will give the same result. Plugging in directly to the inverter is just mentally making you feel better about "charging from the sun", but it doesn't change the physics.

The other issue is that if the output from your solar panels falls below the level where it can operate the inverter, it's going to shut off. The car is NOT going to like this. Let's say a cloud goes across the sun -- the charger will shut off. If it doesn't come back on for 4 minutes or so, I don't think the car will start charging again.

Finally, the best thing for the planet, and for your wallet, is to take advantage of net metering with time-of-use rates, and charge at Level 2. Why? Two reasons: First, as @toelke mentioned, charging at 220V will be overall more efficient, since there will be smaller losses due to resistance in the wires. Second, when you charge at night, you are using base electrical supply, which is more likely to use high-efficiency power sources, and enables hydrocarbon plants like coal and natural gas to run at higher efficiency by boosting the load. During the day, your solar-power electrons can offset really dirty gas turbine "peaker plants" which come online for a few hours when needed to cover afternoon load.