Solar power as fuel for the e-car

The Gerlachs charge with solar power

The Gerlachs family live in a semi-detached house in Jena-Cospeda. In spring 2023, the couple decided to install a solar roof from Stadtwerke Energie for one main reason. We asked the couple four questions.  

Mr. and Mrs. Gerlach, what was your motivation for a PV system? 

For us, there was one main reason for the PV system: after we both retired, we switched our mobility to electric and rely exclusively on electric cars. This is particularly worthwhile if you generate the electricity yourself on site and charge the car with it. So we bought a PV system with an output of 11 KWpeak and associated battery storage and connected the whole thing to the existing e-charging point at our house.  

The timing also played a special role for us: as people with an affinity for technology, we had been observing the technological maturity of PV and electromobility solutions for some time. Now we had reached the point where we could say: Now it makes sense, let's do it! Last but not least, the funding conditions were optimal at the time.

 

Why did you decide on a system from Stadtwerke Jena-Pößneck? 

The starting point was an interesting offer from Stadtwerke Energie in spring 2022, which we received in our letterbox at the time. We were familiar with Stadtwerke „ and so we had a certain amount of trust. We also didn't want to have to research all the options ourselves. So we had someone to do it for us - and the proposed solution suited us well.  

 

What did you particularly like about the project implementation? 

First and foremost, we have to praise the well-organized craftsmen from Hermsdorf who installed the system on our roof. Unfortunately, there were some material shortages with inverters and storage units in spring. What initially caused a delay after installation on the first half of the roof later turned out to be a stroke of luck: our second half of the roof was equipped with the latest generation of devices. I always had a nice contact person at Stadtwerke, the process was smooth and we weren't sold any unnecessary trash.  

 

What are your experiences with your PV system in practice so far? 

In total, we can look back on four full summer months that our system was in operation. And it was well worth it: during this time, we were able to cover our entire home consumption for electricity, water heating and charging the electric car for city trips and trips to the surrounding area. Of course, the yield of solar power decreases in the darker months of the year - but the electricity generated still at least covers our household consumption.  

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