Covering parking lots with Solar Panels, providing Shade, and Generating Electricity to charge Electric cars
The environmental and economic benefits of solar are bigger than ever, and organizations can now share in the savings by installing a solar covering over their parking lots. Solar parking lots are being built around the country to provide shade for automobiles while also generating sustainable energy.
Solar panel roofs are being used to cover parking lots. Such a technique would reflect the sun’s heat and utilize it to power buildings and electric vehicles. As a result, the ground absorbs less heat, allowing the air to cool.
Solarcube‘s CEO, Panos Bitarchas, stated Solar Power Portal that “Carports reclaim empty space that we just use for putting our car in. With carports, we think we have a multipurpose product that can cover our cars, generate renewable electricity, and can change the view of a grey, empty space into a nice architectural function. It’s a completely different approach but we feel that car parks can be used to generate electricity locally for heavy users.”
Because carport projects are more expensive, they rely more heavily on state-level subsidies. As a result, there will be a larger concentration of carports in markets where they exist.
Solar carports are now popular with large corporations and stadiums in states that promote renewable energy, such as Dow Jones & Co., Staples, and the Washington Football Team Field.