New solar carports charge electric vehicles on the cheap
Feb 22, 2011
According to recent studies, about 30 to 40 percent of a city’s downtown area is made up of parking lots. That’s a lot of wasted surface area.
But solar carports are slowly and surely covering some of that space, using photovoltaic panels to generate power and shade the cars underneath.
American Clean Energy and Envision Solar have unveiled a new product, and a leasing structure, that may aid in covering up some of the empty asphalt in New Jersey, which not only trumps almost every other state in solar development, but has no shortage of parking lots.
The two companies announced today that their new joint product, the Solar Tracking Tree, combines solar tracking technology with an electric-vehicle charging station, and not to mention, some added shade.
But an added bonus for the parking-lot owner who is considering the product is a new leasing option for the Solar Trees. The customer pays a low monthly fee for the system—no upfront costs.
“Our unique, patented design coupled with American Clean Energy's lease option should result in solar energy taking root to cover blacktop and concrete parking lots in New Jersey for the benefit of customers, patrons, employees and the environment," said Robert Noble, Envision Solar’s CEO, in a company press release.
The two companies are hoping the lease option will sweeten the pot for potential customers in New Jersey.
"The problem, particularly with smaller commercial solar canopy deployments to date, has been the inability to attain scale and scope economies,” said Steve Morgan, CEO of American Clean Energy. “Every installation until now has been a one-off design with a one-off PPA/financing arrangement. This product offering delivers to the promise of an attractive and functional solar canopy with financing 'in-a-box'. Construction activities are reduced to simple foundation construction, Solar Tree erection and electrical interconnection.”
Unlike most tracking systems, which use a fixed-tilt mechanism to follow the sun, the Solar Tree moves on a pivot, which allows it to stay on sun even if, heaven forbid, the sun begins spiraling in the sky.
According to American Clean Energy, each Solar Tree generates enough energy to remove 15 tons of CO2, replace the usage of 1,600 gallons of gas and power 2.5 homes.
Image courtesy of American Clean Energy.
Your Comments
Would you buy an electric car? Here is some electric vehicle information: www.energyinyourlife.com/.../article.php
I think they should start making them for home charging.
please find our electric car: electric-car.chinaeu.de
Sun Storage is a company based in Oregon and we manufacture structures similar to what is shown in the image above. We also make smaller units called Shelter Arrays for home use. Check out our website at www.sunstorage.org.
Sun Storage is a company based in Oregon and we manufacture structures similar to what is shown in the image above. We also make smaller units called Shelter Arrays for home use. Check out our website at www.sunstorage.org.
If these solar panels can charge-up our electric vehicles then they are a necessity and there is a plus to them, in-as-much as they seem to also afford much needed SHADE protection from the hot summer sun. . .
Actually, as Leonard Cremeans mentioned - - I also feel that the need for charging vehicles is at home, NOT a remote area....
~ I'm not in favor of leasing these solar carports since they are not so easily removed. They must need to be very well anchored to the ground (to code), and wind proof too (as much as possible). But the 'buy outright' option (which I favor), should be 'affordable' or people won't buy them or the electric vehicle....
o that is cool
if only we could apply this to the uk market
The Solar Tracking Trees meet New Jerseys' wind rating requirements. If a company has the upfront resources, a purchase option is a great way to go. for those companies that don't a lease is definitely an option that will save them a good deal of money and join the renewable movement. Feel free to visit www.solartrackingtree.com to see the trees in motion.