Solar + Storage Microgrids: Paving an Affordable, Accessible Lane for Commercial EV Charging

Electric vehicles (EVs) continue to hit the roads in record numbers: in 2024, 20 percent of all cars purchased worldwide were EVs, and 300,000 were sold in the U.S. alone in Q1 2025. Commercial EV adoption is keeping pace with these trends. Corporate fleets are expected to grow in size in the coming years, with a recent Cox Automotive study revealing that 90 percent of fleet owners who currently own EVs plan to purchase more. A similar movement is playing out across many municipalities and transit authorities, with EV bus fleets becoming the norm in some regions. 

Companies investing in fleets need scalable, reliable access to charging that doesn’t adversely impact their local power grid, energy bills, or carbon footprint. In most cases, this means installing on-site chargers to recharge vehicles overnight or whenever they return to a company’s headquarters, distribution site, or transportation center between trips. Deploying on-site charging requires planning and collaboration with grid operators and utility experts, as each charger represents a new and sizable energy load. In some parts of the country, grid infrastructure may not be prepared to accommodate this demand. 

One solution being deployed with success to mitigate cost challenges and deliver benefits to both the EV fleet owners and the grid? Dedicated solar + storage microgrids for charging hubs.  

Meet Your Microgrid 

The benefits of solar + storage for offsetting peak energy loads, managing the intermittency of solar generation, and lowering utility costs are well-documented and understood by many grid operators. The benefits ring especially true in states and regions with high rates of solar adoption. When solar + storage are deployed as a microgrid, they also offer resilience for critical loads. This model is advantageous in areas prone to extreme weather or public safety power shutoffs. When deployed to power an EV charging hub directly, it also provides a hedge against service disruptions and potential profit losses in the event of a grid outage. 

There are several factors to consider when deploying a microgrid to support EV charging, which can range from straightforward (e.g., the size of the site and the types of EVs it will serve) to complex (e.g., expected charging patterns, utility regulations, and backup power needs). Electrifying public or commercial transportation is a significant investment, one that many companies are prioritizing to reduce both long-term operating costs and emissions. Shoring up charging infrastructure with solar + storage in parallel with these efforts can extend the value of this investment. Before moving forward with a project, decision-makers must assess their options and collaborate with a partner to ensure they are accounting for all factors and long-term goals.  

Partner and Collaborate to Maximize Impact 

Each solar + storage microgrid project represents a significant long-term investment. Microgrids that support EV charging must be tailored to the unique needs of the site, the utility landscape, and the long-term policy environment. These technologies and processes may also be relatively new to a sustainability officer, engineer, or site operator tasked with managing this transition.  

Installing and deploying a microgrid, especially one that utilizes EV charging, will often require the input and collaboration of multiple stakeholders. One is the IPP (Independent Power Producer), who typically installs, owns, operates, and maintains the solar arrays powering the project. Energy consultancies can inform how trends in utility prices, grid conditions, and policies may affect a project’s long-term costs and return on investment. EV charging experts can select the best technology to meet the project’s needs and installation requirements, and provide accurate projections of the energy demands from the fleet. 

When deployed strategically, a microgrid can benefit not only the company installing it but also the broader community. For instance, charging via stored solar reduces strain on the grid, a critical benefit when inclement weather hits or extreme heat sends prices skyrocketing. Some advanced, intelligent microgrids can even provide more tangible benefits to a utility via grid services like load balancing. Collaborating with the right IPP alongside EV companies and consultants enhances the ability to communicate this value to other stakeholders, including utilities. 

When it comes to broader utility trends and integrating a solar + storage microgrid into the grid, utilities should be viewed as partners, resources, and collaborators. Most markets with high rates of EV adoption also benefit from supportive utility regulations and policies for charging. An IPP with a strong presence in local and regional markets will be well-versed in these trends and can act as a liaison between a site operator and the utility. 

When faced with these new and daunting challenges, companies need to assemble the right team to ensure a project’s success, comprising IPP partners, energy consultants, EV experts, and utilities. Futureproofing should always be the name of the game - it’s best to account for growth and potential sources of volatility during the planning process rather than assume it’ll be possible to play catch-up at a later date when things change. An informed team of experts will provide the most comprehensive information to safeguard the long-term viability of the project.

Financing a Reliable, Affordable Clean Energy Future

Cost remains king for any clean energy project and investment, regardless of a company’s status or the level of support from the policy environment. Often, the same IPP that helps design and deploy a microgrid can also help maintain the project’s efficacy, reducing costly repairs and ensuring the project remains aligned with your organization’s long-term goals. Many IPPs today offer a suite of financing, installation, ownership, operations, and maintenance solutions for solar operations that remove the up-front cost risk and burden from the customer. Other partners could offer similar arrangements for EV chargers. 

Often, a microgrid project is structured as a 20+ year power purchase agreement (PPA), where the customer pays a recurring, predictable cost, and the ongoing operations and maintenance are handled by the IPP. Even when long-term goals are accounted for, a proactive partner can identify emerging shifts and evolving needs and take decisive, well-informed action on the customer’s behalf where necessary.

Identifying the appropriate system size is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome, and it’s crucial to think beyond current demand. All too often, commercial solar arrays and storage systems are designed or selected with only today’s situation in mind. Many companies are planning to grow their EV fleets in the coming years, so a longer view of both charging needs and the energy landscape is essential. External trends, such as future grid volatility, utility price increases, or increased instances of extreme weather-related outages, must be factored in during this process. 

For companies and municipalities looking to invest in electric vehicle fleets, scalable and affordable solar + storage-powered charging is more accessible than ever before. A nimble IPP partner can be one piece of the puzzle, and, along with other experts, will help establish a keen understanding of the utility landscape, as well as short- and long-term fleet goals, making it easier to keep the road ahead clear, clean, and bright.