One of the most read stories on The Driven’s sister site Renew Economy this past week has about Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s extraordinary claim that rooftop solar PV cannot charge and electric car and a household battery at the same time.

It was not clear exactly what Dutton was referring to, and why, but it appeared to be a muddled defence of his proposed continued dependence on centralised baseload power – coal and then nuclear.

It did confirm Dutton’s, and his party’s, lack of knowledge about the concepts of flexible demand and supply, and – our readers suggest – might just be one of the dumbest things the Coalition has said about new technologies since his predecessor Scott Morrison claimed that EVs won’t tow your boat.

The remarks have caused a flurry of emails to Renew Economy and The Driven from readers who do exactly what Dutton says they can’t do, charge their batteries and their cars at the same time (and also power their house and in some cases send surplus power back to the grid).

There were plenty of responses from readers in our comments section. Here are some examples.

Steve: “I have a 30kW of PV on a 15kW/27kWh hybrid inverter. I also have a Tesla Model 3 with a three phase HPWC. According to my app, the PV system is generating 21.2kW, split between: – House 2.5kW – EV 11kW – Battery is being charged at 7.7kW What on earth is Dutton talking about?”

Keith: “We often charge our 9.6kWh home battery and two EVs at the same time, though we do try to balance this against our solar generation.”

Peter: “Dutton knows nothing about energy. I have about 10kW of panels, 2 x Powerwalls and a Model 3. Can get the batteries fully charged and charge the car from 50% to 100% in the day – all for zero cost.”

And others wrote in:

Alan writes:

“He talks about small modular nuclear reactors, when will I have one for my home? Answer never. Since about 2012 for the price of a small car I have built a 6kw roof top solar system

“With 25kwhrs storage, I run aircon for heating and cooling. Basically I am off grid my system is separated from grid. The grid is only is now a back up to me. After they got rid of my 60 cents export (tariff), the less I have to do with the grid the better.

“And now with modern renewable technology every home does not need the grid for around the cost of motor vehicle you can go off grid. Try that with nuclear power.”

Greg writes:

“I read your article re the Coalition and their problems with solar.

“As a reference, I have two solar systems on my house, one straight panels, the 2nd has storage as well. I also drive a Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin EV.

“This morning I plugged my EV into it 7kW charger, while I walked my Doggo and had breakfast. My EV was happily charging. The house storage was happily charging. The appliances in the house were all happily running, including two inverter AC units, an inverter clothes dryer and a number of computers.

“Mr Dutton needs to do some research. One would think living in ‘The Sunshine State’, he would have a clue.

“Want to solve power problems? I have the solution. A Govt grant to install solar panels on every residential house in Australia. If people have solar or want solar and batteries, the batteries are covered under the same system as 5 year interest free loans.

“In one policy you massively increase the number of houses with solar. This in turn frees up the coal/gas fired generation, as they feed back to the grid, reducing the demand. Those with panels have a reduced power bill. This means people will spend money elsewhere, generating GST.

“Under such a scheme, once a home has sufficient panel and storage, it is deemed ‘Energy Independent’. While it remains attached to the grid, to feed back into the grid, the property is no longer allowed to be charged power bills, while the solar and storage are operable.

“Ultimately, when every house has panels and most storage, you simply outlaw residential power bills.

“Imagine being the Govt that can stand in Parliament and state, ‘We freed ALL Australian households from power bills’.

“Alas, our likely next PM will push his nuclear agenda, waste billions, be voted out in 1 term and leave the nation worse off in relation to power generation and financially. But then that’s today’s Politician.”

And, just as a reminder, this is what Dutton said:

“So think about it this way, if you’ve got solar panels on your house at home, and you’re charging up your car during the day, you can’t store energy into your battery,” Dutton told media at the presentation of the costings of his nuclear energy policy in Brisbane on Friday.

“You can’t, you can’t add the energy at the same time to your car, into your battery at home. And so this is why their system is being over built so dramatically, and this is a cost that’s already been passed on to consumers now.”

No, we did not make this stuff up. The transcript is even on his website.

Giles Parkinson

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.

Our readers respond to Peter Dutton: We charge our EVs and home batteries with solar every day

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