What Is A Solar Carport?
What Is A Solar Carport?
What is a solar carport? Can your business benefit from having one? Learn everything you need to know
today with Smartly, the solar tech experts. Read now.
A solar carport is a sheltered structure (usually a standalone structure) that has two uses:
- To shelter cars from the elements
- Generate electricity via solar power
Almost any car shelter can be fitted with solar panels (or solar tiles) to transform it into a solar carport.
On larger scales, entire parking lots with a roofed top can be converted to become solar carports. This allows the business that owns the carport to generate clean energy and offset a portion of their energy bill by using a renewable energy source on site.
A solar carport works via the installation and use of solar cells that use photovoltaics.
Photovoltaic cells are able to convert light into DC electricity, which is converted on-site to AC electricity for use in building circuits or to charge electric cars.
A large solar carport will often work in a similar way to solar farms and may be able to cover a business’s full energy consumption needs if they are big enough. If this is the case, the extra electricity that is generated can be sold on-site (if you have electric car chargers for customers) or sold to the national grid.
A huge benefit of solar carports is the ability to offer free charging to employees for their electric cars as a part of your employee benefits package.
For homeowners, even in countries such as the UK with regular cloud cover, solar power can help you save on energy bills.
Solar panels or solar tiles can be mounted on the roof of a home and linked to your home’s power grid. If your solar setup is large enough, it will be able to power your entire home and all your electrical appliances.
It is often the case that solar setups for domestic settings will produce extra electricity that can be sold back to the national grid.
Solar panels will allow your home to be fully self-sufficient for electricity, meaning you won’t need to depend upon the national grid for power.
Yes. Smaller solar carports are becoming more common as a great way to generate solar power for electric cars. If you have the space on your property, then a small solar carport is a great idea.
Smartly are more than happy to provide more detailed information about solar carports if they are something that you are considering.
Our experts will help you make an informed decision about if a carport is a right solution for your business or home. Be sure to check out electric vehicles.
Contact us today!
