What Is A Solar Carport?

A solar carport is a covered parking area with a canopy made from PV panels. Solar carport owners benefit from cheaper and cleaner electricity, while also providing shade and protection for their vehicles. We offer solar carport kits that require no foundation and make installation easier.

Types of Solar Carport 

Single Cantilever

A single cantilever combines efficient energy production with lower build costs. Generally, this approach provides shade cover for a single parking row.

Double Cantilever

A double incline cantilever is generally used to provide shade for two parking rows. The tilt can be easily optimized for maximum sunlight capture. 

Garage

A garage top canopy can generally be incorporated into new or existing garage structures, depending on unique facility factors. In many cases, a garage canopy can be oriented for maximum sunlight capture regardless of structure orientation.

Long Span

Each structure features a single contiguous PV-covered canopy, maximizing energy production while providing shade for multiple parking rows.

Y-Shaped

A Y-shaped cantilever provides high-energy production while directing water runoff to the center of the structure.

How Does A Solar Carport Work?

Unlike with traditional PV installations attached to rooftops, ground-mounted PV systems rely on tilted panels installed several feet off the ground. Solar carport structures use a ground-mounted model – except that the solar panels are installed even higher off the ground to provide enough clearance for parked vehicles. Solar carports also come with in-built electric vehicle (EV) charging stations so that drivers can top up their batteries while out shopping or at home. 

How Much Does A Solar Carport Cost?

A standard solar carport system include the soloar panels themselves, the carport structure made of steel, wiring, and other components. There are several different factors that might influence the total cost of a solar panel carport. While solar carports in some areas may be on par or more expensive than rooftop solar, they can be used for homes and commercial spaces that have:

• Excessive shading

• Chimneys, vents, and gables

• Limited rooftop space

• Incorrect roof orientation

The Benefits Of Solar Carports

Despite their costs, however, residential and commercial solar panel carports provide a host of advantages over rooftop and ground-mounted PV systems.

1. Reduced Energy Expenses

Solar canopies represent an easy way to turn unused areas into mini power plants. Just as with rooftop solar installations, clients can generate their own clean electricity on-site instead of buying power from the utility company. As a result, solar carport owners benefit from monthly electricity savings – not to mention smaller carbon footprints.

With enough installed capacity, users could even sell excess solar energy back to their utility providers through incentive programs like net energy metering.

It is also easier for solar servicers to reach panels on carports, making it easy to perform the minimal maintenance panels may need during their lifespan.

Ground-mounted solar installations take up valuable real estate, with the space underneath not providing much benefit. Similarly, the average parking lot isn’t terribly productive (even when cars are parked there).

Solar carports offer the best of both worlds – allowing users to optimize limited real estate by transforming unproductive parking spots into renewable energy-generation machines.

In addition to generating cheaper and cleaner electricity for their owners, solar carports also provide protection from the elements:

• On the hottest days of the year, solar carports help shade vehicles, resulting in more comfortable commutes for their drivers

• Solar carports provide protection from rain, sleet, and snow, helping to prolong the useful lifetimes of the vehicles underneath

4. EV-Charging

Commercial and residential solar carports can be integrated with EV-charging solutions:

• Homeowners enjoy peace of mind in knowing that their electric vehicles are charged with clean energy

• Business owners who install solar carports with chargers give EV drivers another reason to walk through the door

Although solar carports carry a higher price tag, they are easier to manipulate and optimize than traditional rooftop PV systems. It’s much easier to reorient a parking spot than it is to reposition an entire roof. And this allows installers to orient their clients’ carports in the optimal direction to maximize sun capture – and by extension, solar power generation, carbon offsets, and monthly savings.