When to Use pv solar parking？

Sabrina Lopez is an editor with over six years of experience writing and editing digital content with a particular focus on home services, home products and personal finance. When she is not working on articles to help consumers make informed decisions, Sabrina enjoys creative writing and spending time with her family and their two parrots.

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Leonardo David is an electromechanical engineer, MBA, energy consultant and technical writer. His energy-efficiency and solar consulting experience covers sectors including banking, textile manufacturing, plastics processing, pharmaceutics, education, food processing, real estate and retail. He has also been writing articles about energy and engineering topics since 2015.

Solar power is growing faster than all other electricity sources in the U.S., representing 50% of the generation capacity installed in 2022. According to the latest Solar Market Insight Report, the U.S. installed 700,000 home solar systems last year, and the country now has enough solar capacity to meet the energy needs of 25 million homes. High-quality solar panels come with a 25-30 year product warranty, and homeowners paying high electric tariffs can achieve a payback period of less than six years.

One of the most important decisions when going solar is deciding where to install the photovoltaic (PV) array and inverter. Many homeowners choose roof-mounted systems, since they can take advantage of unused space. However, a solar carport is also a viable option: you get both a clean energy system and shaded parking areas in the same piece of land.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) targets 30% of electricity generation in the United States to come from solar power by 2030. One such application that’s gaining traction is the solar carport.

Solar installation companies looking to expand their operations should consider adding solar carports to their list of photovoltaic (PV) installation services. With solar panel prices staying low and electric vehicle (EV) sales rising, demand for solar panel carports will only increase in the coming years.

In this article, we’ll walk through what a carport with solar panels is, how it works, and its advantages and disadvantages.

What Is A Solar Carport?

A solar carport is a covered parking area with a canopy made from solar PV panels. They make efficient use of space because they allow for vehicle parking and solar energy generation on the same parcel. Increasingly, solar canopies are being combined with electric vehicle (EV) chargers to allow EV charging with renewable energy.

Sometimes, residential carports are designed for a single parking spot – like in driveways. Other times, commercial solar carports might be strung together in a series to cover entire parking lots. Either way, solar power carport owners benefit from low-cost clean energy, while also providing shade and protection for vehicles.

Some companies offer DIY solar carport kits that homeowners can assemble and install themselves. These residential solar carport systems allow handy homeowners to save money on installation costs.

How Does A Solar Carport Work?

Unlike traditional rooftop solar installations, ground-mounted PV systems rely on tilted panels installed several feet above the ground. Solar carport structures use a ground-mounted model – except that the solar panels are installed higher off the ground to provide enough clearance for parked vehicles. Carports with solar panels are used in both residential and commercial applications, from single-family homes to large corporate campuses.

Solar PV carports offer another option for homes and businesses that want to install solar panels, but are limited by the following:

• Excessive shading from trees and buildings

• Chimneys, vents, and gables limit the space for solar panels

• Small roofs

• Improper roof orientation

How Much Does A Solar Carport Cost?

In the U.S., solar carport systems typically cost between $3.45 and $4.00 per watt, including solar panels, the carport structure, labor, wiring, and other solar equipment. Therefore, a 5-kilowatt solar carport would cost between $17,250 and $20,000 before applying the federal solar tax credit.

Residential solar carports prices tend to be more per watt than commercial solar panel carports because they are usually smaller and miss out on economies of scale. Typically, solar carports cost more than a rooftop PV system with the same capacity because of the additional cost of the carport structure.

The Pros & Cons Of Solar Panel Carports

Residential and commercial solar panel carports provide numerous advantages and disadvantages compared to rooftop and traditional ground-mounted PV systems.

Pros

Cons

Lower energy bills from solar power production

Greater material costs than most rooftop solar systems

Efficient use of space by using parking areas

More labor hours for the installation than rooftop PV arrays

Protects vehicles from the elements

Requires space for building a PV carport structure

EV-charging capabilities (optional)

Solar carport permitting challenges

More solar power capacity

Solar engineering complexity

The Benefits of a Solar Carport

Carports with solar panels offer a dual-purpose solution by providing shade for parked vehicles while generating clean, renewable energy from the sun.

1. Lower Energy Bills

Solar canopies can easily turn unused parcels into mini power plants. Like rooftop solar installations, clients can generate on-site renewable energy instead of buying power from the utility company. As a result, solar carport owners benefit from monthly electricity bill savings.

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

2. Efficient Use Of Space

Ground-mounted solar projects take up valuable land, with the space underneath rarely providing much additional benefit, except when combined with agrovoltaics. 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 facilities. If more commercial solar carports are installed on parking lots, it decreases the need to convert agricultural land to solar farms.

3. Protect Vehicles From The Elements

In addition to generating low-cost clean energy, a solar carport also provides protection from inclement weather. On the hottest days of the year, solar carports help shade vehicles, resulting in more comfortable commutes for their drivers. For this reason, they are especially popular in hot, sunny climates like Southern California, New Mexico, and Arizona. Likewise, solar carports provide protection from rain, sleet, ice, hail, and snow, helping to prolong the useful life of the cars underneath.