How can I charge my vehicle using excess solar power during the day?

If your Andersen charger supports solar charging and you have an Andersen CT clamp fitted, your charger can use excess solar energy from your property to charge your vehicle during the day. The minimum amount of solar energy required to begin charging is 1.4kW.

To manage this, your charger uses two main settings:

- Charge Outside Schedule

- Supplement with Grid Power.

How you use them depends entirely on whether you use the Andersen app's scheduling feature.

Where to find these settings in the Andersen app:

- Head to Settings > select your Charge Point > tap Power Source.

"Yes, I use Andersen Charging Schedules"

If you have an Andersen schedule enabled, these settings allow you to seamlessly blend overnight grid charging with daytime solar charging.

• Charge Outside Schedule (Turn This ON): This allows your charger to charge your vehicle during the day if your property exports 1.4kW. It automatically diverts free solar energy to your car without you having to manually tweak your overnight schedule.

• Supplement with Grid Power: This option can be toggled on or off. It determines your charge rate during an Andersen schedule period. If this toggle is off, your vehicle will not charge overnight (as there is no solar energy available). If it is turned on, you must choose a charge rate; this rate will apply to all charge sessions inside your Andersen schedule period.

"No, I do not use Andersen Charging Schedules"

If you prefer to just plug in and charge manually without a set timer, your settings will behave a bit differently.

To charge using solar energy only:

- Turn Supplement with Grid Power completely OFF. Your car will only charge when your home is actively exporting excess solar energy. If a cloud passes over and solar drops, the charging stops until the sun comes back out.

To support your charge session with grid energy:

- Turn Supplement with Grid Power ON. If your solar drops below the required threshold, the charger will pull the difference from the grid to keep the session going.

If you want to fast-charge at maximum speed (7.2kW) during cheap overnight off-peak hours, don't forget to manually turn the Supplement with Grid Power rate up to 7.2kW.

The benefit of using an Andersen schedule:

- If you want your vehicle to charge at maximum speed (7.2kW) during overnight hours, but only use excess solar energy during the day, using an Andersen schedule is the most practical method. It removes the need to manually change your app settings twice a day.

When you use a schedule, the charger manages the switchover automatically:

- Daytime solar: Outside of your scheduled hours, the charger only uses excess solar. If your panels export 3kW, that power goes to the vehicle. If the solar supply drops below the 1.4kW minimum threshold, charging pauses so you don't pull expensive daytime power from the grid.

- Overnight charging: Once your scheduled overnight window begins, the charger automatically switches to using grid power (or a mix of both) to charge at the full 7.2kW rate, ensuring your vehicle is ready for the morning.

Using a schedule simply automates this routine, giving you the fastest charge rate at night and maximising your solar usage during the day without manual intervention.