Charging an electric car with solar power: how many kWp of rooftop solar, regulations and solar charging
An electric car that covers 12,000 km a year needs about 2,400 kWh of electricity including charging losses. According to the EU's PVGIS data, 1 kWp of solar panels produces 1,649 kWh a year in Antalya, 1,476 in Ankara, 1,373 in İstanbul and 1,068 in Trabzon; so a 1.5–2.25 kWp (4–5 panel) rooftop system covers the car's annual energy. For homes, production and consumption are still netted monthly; electricity produced during the day is deducted from night-time charging in the same month.
By: Şarj Rehberim · Updated: · 5 min read
Short answer
The most common way to charge an electric car with solar power is to install a small grid-connected solar power plant (GES) on the roof of your home. The panels produce during the day and the car mostly charges at night; because production and consumption are netted monthly for residential subscriptions, this time difference is not a problem: whatever you produce in the month is deducted from your bill.
12,000 km a year at 18 kWh per 100 km comes to 2,160 kWh; with about 10% charging loss, 2,400 kWh. The panel capacity needed to cover this varies by province.
How many kWp and how many panels does your car need?
The output figures are from the European Commission Joint Research Centre's PVGIS 5.3 tool (south-facing panels at the optimum tilt, 14% system loss). The number of panels was rounded up. If you also want to cover your home's own consumption, you need to size the system accordingly. According to the Ministry of Energy, Türkiye gets an average of 2,741 hours of sunshine a year.
| Province | Annual output of 1 kWp | Capacity needed for 2,400 kWh | 450 W panels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antalya | 1,649 kWh | 1.5 kWp | 4 |
| Mersin | 1,603 kWh | 1.5 kWp | 4 |
| İzmir | 1,582 kWh | 1.5 kWp | 4 |
| Konya | 1,578 kWh | 1.5 kWp | 4 |
| Ankara | 1,476 kWh | 1.6 kWp | 4 |
| Erzurum | 1,451 kWh | 1.7 kWp | 4 |
| İstanbul | 1,373 kWh | 1.75 kWp | 4 |
| Bursa | 1,329 kWh | 1.8 kWp | 4 |
| Samsun | 1,234 kWh | 1.95 kWp | 5 |
| Trabzon | 1,068 kWh | 2.25 kWp | 5 |
Sources (as of 3 November 2026): PVGIS (European Commission JRC) · Ministry of Energy: solar energy
Residential rooftop solar regulations (November 2026)
- Legal basis: the Regulation on Unlicensed Electricity Generation in the Electricity Market. Installed capacity is limited to the contracted power in the connection agreement; a solar installation at the same metering point can only be a rooftop or facade installation.
- Rooftop installations with a standard design, up to the contracted power and up to 25 kW, are connected without committee review.
- Under the 2 April 2026 amendment, netting for unlicensed installations became hourly from 1 May 2026; however, for installations linked to residential subscriptions, netting continues to be done monthly.
- The rule that production above twice the consumption is not paid for does not apply to the residential group. Panels, inverters and batteries must have been manufactured within the last 5 years.
- Storage (a home battery) up to the generation capacity can be added to an unlicensed installation; the 19 October 2026 amendment removed the limit on the battery's energy capacity. Energy fed from the battery to the grid is not paid for, however; the battery is used to shift daytime production to evening charging.
Sources (as of 3 November 2026): Official Gazette 02.04.2026: amendment to the unlicensed generation regulation · Official Gazette 19.10.2026: amendment to the unlicensed generation regulation
Do you need a solar-compatible charger?
Some wallboxes can charge using only the panels' surplus production: for example, the Zaptec Go offers "solar surplus only" and "solar surplus + grid" modes (currently only in some European countries), and the myenergi zappi has ECO and ECO+ modes. These need a separate meter or current sensor that measures the home's consumption.
In Türkiye, because residential netting is monthly, the result on your bill does not change: even if the car charges at night, the month's production is deducted. So a solar mode is not essential at home; its real benefit would be to increase self-consumption if hourly netting is introduced in future or if the price for selling surplus stays below the purchase price.
Sources (as of 3 November 2026): Zaptec: solar charging at home · myenergi: zappi
Frequently asked questions
- How many panels do you need to charge an electric car with solar power?
- A car that covers 12,000 km a year needs about 2,400 kWh; depending on the province that is 1.5–2.25 kWp, or 4–5 panels of 450 W.
- Do I benefit from solar power if I charge at night?
- Yes. For residential subscriptions, production and consumption are netted monthly; electricity produced during the day is deducted from night-time charging in the same month.
- How much does 1 kWp of solar panels produce a year?
- According to PVGIS data: 1,649 kWh in Antalya, 1,582 in İzmir, 1,476 in Ankara, 1,373 in İstanbul and 1,068 in Trabzon.
- Do you need a licence to install rooftop solar?
- No. Rooftop installations up to the contracted power are set up without a licence; an application to the distribution company, a design and acceptance procedures are required.