A guide explaining the energy mixture of electricity used by public electric car chargers, including how much of that comes from renewable energy, and how to tell.
02 Jan 2026
3 min read
Generally speaking, some of the electricity used at a public electric vehicle charging station will have been generated from renewable energy sources. This is because the UK’s energy network at large generates a significant amount from renewables. However, it’s not possible to know exactly how much energy you use when charging in public has come from a renewable source.
Simply put: yes, it’s entirely possible, and they likely do! But to understand why, it makes sense to take a look at how the UK’s energy system works.
With the goal of reaching net zero by 2050, the UK’s energy sector has invested heavily into making the energy it generates more sustainable and less reliant on burning polluting fossil fuels. The ultimate aim is to have an electricity system built on 100% zero-carbon energy, much of this expected to come from renewable sources including the wind and Sun.
The UK’s use of renewable energy has been steadily increasing over the last few decades, rising from around just 2% in 1991 to well over 40% in 2025, with a peak of 51% in 2024. This means that it’s very possible that EV public charging systems are at least in part powered by some form of renewable energy.
The reality is, it’s actually very difficult, if not impossible, to tell whether the public charger you’re using is currently – or at all – uses electricity generated from renewable sources.
There may be some niche instances where it’s obvious, such as if the charger has solar panels attached to it or some form of branding indicating its use of renewables. But for the most part, public chargers are not functionally dissimilar to home chargers, in that they’re dedicated ports to charge electric cars. That’s not to say it won’t be using renewable energy – again, it’s likely that it does – but there’s no way to be completely certain.
Just like anywhere else, what source your electricity comes from – be it a renewable source like solar energy, or by burning fossil fuels – has no impact on how it works. So the simplest answer to this is a resounding no: your electric car won’t charge any slower (or faster, sadly!) if it’s being powered by renewable energy. But it will be greener though!
Electric vehicles are already great for the environment, and this is doubly the case if it can be charged using renewable energy.
Unfortunately, whilst charging out and about – whether that’s in public, or at work – is a great way to keep your EV topped up, and likely involves the use of some amount of renewable energy, drivers don’t actually have any way to control this. It would be lovely if we knew with absolute certainty that when charging in public our EVs were being filled with lovely green energy, but that simply isn’t the case.
However, it can be the case at home, where we have more – although, still limited - control over what kind of energy we use, and when and how we charge.
More specifically, the most eco-friendly time to charge is overnight. This is because energy demand is lowest overnight as we’re all (more or less) asleep, meaning we don’t need as much electricity from the energy grid. This in turn means the grid won’t need to turn on extra fossil fuel-burning generators to meet demand, making it a green time to charge.
Plus, there are some ways we can personally increase the amount of renewable energy in our home. One such way is using solar panels and pairing them with a solar compatible charger to charge you electric car using zero carbon (and potentially free) solar energy.
Tip: the Solo 3S home charging system is our award-winning and solar compatible home charger. It can be purchased upfront from £849, or included in the Plug & Power Bundle which reduces the upfront cost to £499 and spreads the remainder across an exclusive 2-year fixed low-cost energy tariff supplied by EDF.
