Solar timer project to charge an EV

Most utilities (in the US, at least) deal with residential solar in a way that makes what you are trying to do a fun but pointless exercise.

For example, my utility uses monthly net metering. That means that at the end of every month, if I have consumed more than I produced in a month, they charge me for the difference.

And if I have produced more than I consumed in a month, they pay me for the difference.

In either scenario, it doesn't matter if I charge my EV in the dark of night or only when the sun shines. The utility acts like a battery that stores my over-production on sunny days, for use when the sun isn't shining... (and that "battery" gets shorted out at the end of every month :slight_smile: ).

(My utility pays me for over-production at the avoided cost rate, which as about 25% of the amount they charge me, so it doesn't make sense to design a system that will over-produce in the summer months. If we had annual metering, then it would make sense...)

If a utility used minute-by-minute net metering and if they pay for over-production at a reduced rate, then charging my EV when the system would otherwise be overproducing (i.e. when the sun is shining and my household load is low) would make sense. But I've never heard of a utility that uses minute-by-minute metering.