Goal: Export to grid vs Charge EV
The Goal toggle tells the simulator what to do with surplus solar after the battery and home load are covered. Two destinations exist — the grid (sold for revenue) and your EV (added to its daily kWh target). Pick the one that matches what you actually want each day.
Export to grid
Surplus solar exports back to the grid at your feed-in-tariff (FiT) rate. Under the Default sub-strategy we cut what you buy from the grid first, then sell into the evening peak when the battery can spare it and still cover tomorrow. Under the “Maximise battery reserve” sub-strategy the battery is kept topped up for outage resilience and solar surplus only exports during peak-priced windows; outside peak it’s curtailed.
Charge EV
Surplus solar is routed to your EV charger inside the user-defined charging window, never to grid. Under the basic Charge EV sub-strategy the battery only discharges into the EV when forecast curtailment would otherwise waste the energy. Under “Maximise EV charge” the battery drains into the EV down to its hardware-safe minimum during the window, potentially importing overnight if tomorrow’s solar disappoints.
When the EV target is met, surplus falls back to either curtailment (basic Charge EV) or grid export (Maximise EV charge with EV done early) per the strategy’s “never export” contract.
When to use each
- Export to grid — most users without an EV, or users with an EV that’s charged off-peak via a separate contract.
- Charge EV — when you want your daytime solar to go straight into the car’s battery rather than sold to the grid at a lower feed-in rate.
Closes this tab and returns to the calculator.