This paper presents a comparison for a homeowner in Wellington whether to participate in the uptake of electric vehicles (EV) or to install a rooftop photovoltaic cell (PV) power system without storage batteries. Various factors such as cheaper EV charging tariffs, fuel efficiencies and cost of petrol are investigated from the viewpoint of a typical consumer who would be considering replacing their standard internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle with a standard entry level EV. The advantages and disadvantages of EV ownership will then be compared against the installation of rooftop PV arrays for a typical residential property in Wellington. Using average solar irradiance data to calculate the energy output from PVs, a simple payback range is estimated. The analysis include other factors such as cost of PV arrays available in the market, solar buy back tariffs for exporting electricity into the network and typical load profiles. The impact of these emerging disruptive technologies on a distribution lines company is investigated and concludes that an EV purchase is more likely to have a higher benefit than a solar PV installation at the residential level.
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