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Can I charge from solar panels?

Solar charging depends on the charger model, firmware, installation, metering setup, and app features available for your account.

If solar or excess generation features are available on your charger, the charger may use site readings to adjust charging around spare energy from your property.

What affects solar charging

Your setup may need:

  • a compatible PlugStream charger and firmware version
  • correct site metering or current sensing
  • a suitable solar PV installation
  • correct charger and site configuration
  • enough spare generation above the vehicle's minimum charging requirement
  • a vehicle that will accept the available charging rate

If the charger cannot see reliable site readings, it may pause or reduce charging to protect the supply.

Why solar charging may not start

Solar charging may not start if:

  • there is not enough spare solar generation
  • the vehicle needs a higher minimum current than the available surplus
  • the car has its own schedule or battery limit
  • load balancing is holding charging
  • the charger is offline
  • site telemetry is missing

Battery storage and tariffs

Solar charging can interact with home batteries and smart tariffs. Decide whether you want to prioritise:

  • charging the car
  • charging the home battery
  • exporting energy
  • using a cheap tariff window

Your installer or energy system provider may need to help align these settings.

Still need help?

Contact PlugStream Support and include enough detail for the team to find your charger and understand what happened.

Please include:

  • charger serial number, if you have it
  • MyPlugStream account email or site contact email
  • LED colour or Charger readiness message
  • what you expected to happen and what happened instead
  • photos of the charger, cable, connector, or installation area if relevant
  • screenshots from the MyPlugStream app if relevant

See How to contact PlugStream Support.