How Does Managed Charging Work With Solar
Can you participate in managed charging if you have solar? Yes, but with a little bit of inconvenience.
The tracking of the charging does not identify the source, meaning it doesn’t know if you are using grid power or your solar array (or battery). The managed charging rules apply in the same way they apply to all participants. For the advanced tier, that means avoiding the peak time of non-holiday weekdays from 3 PM – 9 PM. So, if you are charging using your solar array in the late afternoon or early evening of a summer day, it would work against your qualifying for the incentive.
There is technology that can identify where the power is coming from. It can be done through the inverter, though not all inverters have that capability. This is not part of the program and is not in the plans at present. Per Eversource, there would have to be testing and then it would have to go through the formal submission/approval process before it could be incorporated.
It is easy to set your charger or vehicle not to charge during peak periods. But if you have solar, especially without storage, it could mean you will send some of the electricity you generate that you would otherwise use to charge (it doesn’t affect electricity use by other appliances) back to the grid.