Solarize/Geothermalize Rhinebeck's Village Business Center & Parking Lots: Help Shade Cars
The Issue
First, sign this petition if you agree that homeowners in a residential neighborhood where a commercial solar farm is to be constructed should have true warning, actual advanced notice in writing, and real input as to whether a solar farm is to be sited there; solar farms are needed here locally in Dutchess County and across our country, but ideally they should be welcomed in the neighborhoods for which they are proposed.
Second, sign this petition if you support the goal of solar on roofs and/or geothermal energy for commercial buildings primarily in the Village of Rhinebeck's center (and surrounding area)-- and solar canopies to provide shade with electric charging stations for commercial/municipal parking lots in the Village of Rhinebeck and the surrounding area (preserving open space for the Rhinebeck Farmers Market in back of the large parking lot opposite the firehouse, of course). http://commercial.energizeny.org/commercial-finance-program
Third, sign this petition if you support the goal of solar for all Dutchess County government building roofs and solar canopies to provide shade for all Dutchess government parking lots (with electric charging stations)-- and the goal of helping commercial buildings across our county going solar/geothermal as well (with solar canopies for parking lots all over Dutchess too with electric charging stations as in Ulster County, as recognized by even National Geographic magazine). http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/ulster-county/2016/11/14/ulster-county-national-geographic/93804878/
Fourth, sign this petition if you think that at least some of the current record-setting $59.6 million Dutchess County fund balance (budget surplus) should be spent helping homeowners in Rhinebeck, Clinton, and Dutchess County get no-money-down solar/geothermal for their properties-- with a new Dutchess County Green Energy Jobs Revolving Loan Fund (the savings on electric bills paying off the cost of the loans, making it a win-win for all; this idea comes from Mark Dunlea of http://www.GELFNY.org .) https://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2017/May/04/DC_2016_fiscal-04May17.html
Fifth, sign this petition if you agree that Dutchess County should follow the good example of Broome, Erie, Rockland, Suffolk, Tompkins, Ulster, and Westchester counties and provide an exemption on county sales tax on the retail sales and installation of commercial solar energy systems equipment. https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/publications/sales/pub718cs.pdf
Sixth, sign this petition if you agree that Dutchess County could and should work towards the goal of going completely fossil-fuel-free by 2030, as a 2013 Cornell Stanford report proved possible, creating 67,000 new green construction jobs locally, 865 permanent new green jobs, saving $537 million annually for Dutchess County residents, businesses, and municipalities on energy/electricity costs, saving 59 lives annually (extrapolating Dutchess numbers from statewide figures showing a potential of 4.5 million new green construction jobs going fossil-fuel-free across NYS by 2030, creating 58,000 permanent new green jobs as well, saving literally $36 billion on electric/energy costs, and saving 4000 lives annually from cleaner air. http://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/NewYorkWWSEnPolicy.pdf
Fact: Two years ago my resolution passed unanimously for Dutchess to join the NYS Energy Improvement Corporation so that local businesses across our county can access essentially free (hardly any cost) loans for renewable energy/efficiency retrofits; commercial enterprises could and should take advantage of this (and Dutchess County government itself should sponsor an open/public friendly competition among local municipalities to see which town/city/village has the highest per-capita participation rate in this program). http://commercial.energizeny.org/commercial-finance-program
Fact: Across the country, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, pavement makes up 35 to 50 percent of total surface area in cities, and 40 percent of that pavement is parking lots; Staples national headquarters, the Washington Redskins' FedEx Field, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power all have large solar canopies for their parking lots.
Fact: "The City of Santa Cruz installed a solar canopy over two of its publicly owned parking lots. In addition to generating electricity and providing shade, the carports have charging stations for municipal electric vehicles. Overall, the two systems produce an average annual savings of $73,000 and meet more than half of the electricity demand for the sites where they were installed. Total savings for the 25-year lifetime of the system: more than $4 million. The University of Colorado, Boulder installed a solar carport at their Mountain Research Center. Like the City of Santa Cruz, CU Boulder’s carport is also wired for electric vehicle charging stations. The university’s solar parking lot offers an average annual savings of $21,750, equivalent to an eight percent return on the initial investment. In the two years after this initial system was installed, CU Boulder built two more solar carports on its campus, helping to achieve LEED Platinum status for some of the buildings." http://news.energysage.com/solar-canopy-installations-bring-shade-clean-energy-parking-lot/
Fact: GOP San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is working together with the San Diego Chamber of Commerce and the Dem-led City Council there to make the entire city there fossil-fuel-free by 2035; 1400 mayors across U.S.: same thing(!). https://www.buzzfeed.com/zahrahirji/cities-embrace-100-percent-clean-energy-goal
Email all 25 of us at countylegislators@dutchessny.gov, speak with other local officials directly, and feel free to contact me at joeltyner@earthlink.net or 845-464-2245 or 845-876-2488; see the Sierra Club's http://www.Readyfor100.org , Bill McKibben's http://www.350.org , or Paul Hawken's http://www.Drawdown.org for more inspiration/information (pertinent here-- there is absolutely no need-- none whatsoever-- for the proposed 1100-megawatt fracked-gas Cricket Valley power plant in Dover that would spew 10 million tons of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants into our air annually; would be largest gas-fired power plant in the northeast; roughly twice as big as 650-megawatt CPV plant nearby; see http://www.ProtectOrangeCounty.org ).
Joel Tyner, Dutchess County Legislator (Rhinebeck/Clinton), 324 Browns Pond Road, Staatsburg, NY 12580, Host of "Working Class Dutchess" on Facebook and on WHVW.com 950 AM Saturday mornings 8 am to noon (call 845-345-0163)
[yes solar farms ARE needed here in Dutchess County-- but must be done right: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2016/11/23/big-solar-coming-nys-though-wary/94275928/ ; http://www.townofrosendale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Scaling-Up-Solar-Media-Release-for-4.4.16.pdf ]
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The best idea in a long time: Covering parking lots with solar panels
By Chris Mooney January 28, 2015
America is a nation of pavement. According to research conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, most cities’ surfaces are 35 to 50 percent composed of the stuff. And 40 percent of that pavement is parking lots. That has a large effect: Asphalt and concrete absorb the sun’s energy, retaining heat — and contributing to the “urban heat island effect,” in which cities are hotter than the surrounding areas.
So what if there were a way to cut down on that heat, cool down the cars that park in these lots, power up those parked cars that are electric vehicles (like Teslas), and generate a lot of energy to boot? It sounds great, and there is actually a technology that does all of this — solar carports.
It’s just what it sounds like — covering up a parking lot with solar panels, which are elevated above the ground so that cars park in the shade beneath a canopy of photovoltaics. Depending of course on the size of the array, you can generate a lot of power. For instance, one vast solar carport installation at Rutgers University is 28 acres in size and produces 8 megawatts of power, or about enough energy to power 1,000 homes.
Solar carports have many benefits, ranging from aesthetics (yes, the things look very cool) to subtler factors. Like this: Not having to return to a hot car after spending three hours at the mall or a sporting event in the summer. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, being able to park in the shade in the summer is actually a substantial contributor to increased vehicle fuel efficiency, because it saves having to cool your car back up by cranking the air conditioner.
According to Chase Weir of TruSolar, the cost to install a solar canopy today is less than the cost to install a rooftop just a few years ago.
Still, there aren’t all that many right now. According to Scott Moskowitz of GTM Research, which released a study of the sector last year, by the end of 2014 there were an estimated 600 megawatts (or 2.5 billion dollars) worth of solar canopies installed in the U.S. In energy terms, though, 600 megawatts isn’t a very big number. Just consider: The Hoover Dam has a capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts, the world’s biggest coal plant is close to 6,000 megawatts, and even the world’s largest solar plant is 550 megawatts.
So at least for now, the market remains relatively niche. The carports seem to be particularly popular with large companies, which can afford them and where they can provide an impressive display at their corporate campuses. Thus, they’ve been installed by Munich RE, Dow Jones & Co., and Staples, among others.
They’ve also been used to adorn hotels, such as one just unveiled at the Phoenician, a luxury hotel in Scotsdale, Arizona:
A solar array now sits atop a parking structure at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan. 14, 2015. The project is the first of several planned as a result of a partnership between Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and NRG Energy and was unveiled on Jan. 14, 2015. The project will feature 2,000 photovoltaic solar panels totaling nearly 600 kilowatts.
And then there are other large-scale installers: One of the best known solar carports is at the Washington Redskins’ FedEx Field, where a gigantic solar array covering 841 parking spaces is able to generate enough power to cover “20 percent of the stadium’s power needs on game days and all of its power on non-game days,” according to Clark Construction, which installed it.
Laurence Mackler, who founded the solar carport installer Solaire Generation, says his company has now installed 50 megawatts worth of carports nationwide and has seen costs steadily decline over time...
A 2014 market research report on solar carports by GTM Research found that solar carports are mainly springing up in Arizona, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York and most of all California, which is more than half of the total market. For the most part, the report notes, that’s because these states offer an array of state financial incentives to support their development.
Clearly, the most important state is California, where according to GTM Research, solar carports have been supported both by the California Solar Initiative and also by the Division of the State Architect, which oversees construction on many public buildings. Moskowitz says that as costs of installation continue to decline, he does expect the solar carport market to expand into other states, too.
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http://news.energysage.com/solar-canopy-installations-bring-shade-clean-energy-parking-lot/
Solar canopy installations: bring shade and clean energy to your parking lot
The financial and environmental benefits of solar are greater than ever, and companies looking to benefit can now install a solar canopy over their parking lots to share in the savings. Businesses across the country are building solar parking lots that provide shade for cars while simultaneously generating renewable energy – and they’re saving thousands of dollars on electricity bills in the process.
What is a solar canopy?
Solar canopies are elevated structures that host solar panels and provide shade. These overhead solar panel installations are typically installed in parking lots or other paved areas.
In practice, solar canopies are similar to solar carports and ground mounted solar panels – each provides an alternative to rooftop solar, whether because a roof can’t host solar panels or because a property’s electricity needs are too large for a rooftop solar system. Many solar parking lots also incorporate electric car charging stations so that drivers of electric vehicles can recharge with solar power while parked.
Benefits of solar parking canopies
The benefits of solar are well documented: when you install a solar energy system, you reduce your electric bills, protect against rising energy costs, and reduce your impact on the environment. Solar parking lots have a few additional benefits that standard roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar panel systems don’t always offer.
Solar canopies are an efficient use of space
Parking lots are an untapped opportunity for solar installations all across the country. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, pavement makes up 35 to 50 percent of total surface area in cities, and 40 percent of that pavement is parking lots. Installing a solar canopy over an existing parking lot is simply a more efficient use of space than installing a standard ground-mounted system – when you build a solar canopy, you add more uses to the same square footage and don’t have to set aside additional space.
Solar panel parking lots also provide shade
If you’ve ever had to get into a hot car that has been sitting in the sun all day, it’s easy to understand why the shade that solar parking canopies offer is another major benefit. However, shade isn’t just a matter of comfort in your car. When you build a solar canopy in your parking lot, the shade it provides can also improve the fuel economy of cars that park under it.
According to FuelEconomy.gov, running your car’s air conditioning (AC) system is the main cause of reduced fuel economy in hot weather. Under very hot conditions (such as when your car has been baking in the hot sun), using the AC can reduce a conventional vehicle’s fuel economy by more than 25 percent. For hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles, the effect can be even larger. By keeping cars cool on hot days, solar parking lots reduce the need for heavy air conditioning use.
Canopy parking can be oriented for maximum production
Rooftop solar arrays are restricted by the characteristics of the roof on which they are installed. If your roof isn’t at the right angle, doesn’t face south, or has obstructions like chimneys, skylights, or vents, then your solar array will be less productive. The solar panels on your parking canopy, however, can be oriented so that they produce as much electricity as possible, which means maximum savings.
How much can you save with a solar parking canopy installation?
Your solar canopy economics will depend on the size of your system and how much you currently pay for electricity. A few things to keep in mind:
Solar panels typically reach their maximum production in the afternoon, when demand charges can be very high. If your business is subject to demand charges during moments of peak electricity consumption, a solar canopy can dramatically reduce your bill by cutting your grid electricity use during those times.
A solar parking lot will cost more than a similarly sized rooftop installation because of the additional labor and equipment needed to construct the canopies to host the panels. However, as mentioned above, solar canopies also offer additional environmental benefits, can produce more electricity, and aren’t subject to the same space restrictions as rooftop systems.
In addition to the tax breaks available for solar, businesses that construct solar canopies (and other types of solar panel systems) can write off the value of their solar energy systems through the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS), which reduces businesses’ tax burden and accelerates returns on solar investments. Qualified solar energy equipment is eligible for a cost recovery period of five years. Accelerated depreciation can reduce your net system cost by an additional 30 percent.
For more on the financial benefits of solar, take a look at the case studies below from the EnergySage Solar Marketplace.
City of Santa Cruz, CA
The City of Santa Cruz installed a solar canopy over two of its publicly owned parking lots. In addition to generating electricity and providing shade, the carports have charging stations for municipal electric vehicles.
Overall, the two systems produce an average annual savings of $73,000 and meet more than half of the electricity demand for the sites where they were installed. Total savings for the 25-year lifetime of the system: more than $4 million.
University of Colorado, Boulder
The University of Colorado, Boulder installed a solar carport at their Mountain Research Center. Like the City of Santa Cruz, CU Boulder’s carport is also wired for electric vehicle charging stations.
The university’s solar parking lot offers an average annual savings of $21,750, equivalent to an eight percent return on the initial investment. In the two years after this initial system was installed, CU Boulder built two more solar carports on its campus, helping to achieve LEED Platinum status for some of the buildings.
How to get your own solar panel parking lot
Solar parking canopies are a major construction investment with the potential for major savings. The best way to determine which solar canopy option is the best option for your property is to compare multiple offers from qualified solar installers in your area.
On the EnergySage Solar Marketplace, you can get quotes from pre-screened installers local to you and compare them based on pricing, savings, system size, and equipment. To get started, register your property and specify in the “add details” section that you are looking for a solar parking lot installation. If you are building a canopy from the ground up for this project, simply drag the pin to your parking lot or other area where you would like the solar canopy to be built.
The Issue
First, sign this petition if you agree that homeowners in a residential neighborhood where a commercial solar farm is to be constructed should have true warning, actual advanced notice in writing, and real input as to whether a solar farm is to be sited there; solar farms are needed here locally in Dutchess County and across our country, but ideally they should be welcomed in the neighborhoods for which they are proposed.
Second, sign this petition if you support the goal of solar on roofs and/or geothermal energy for commercial buildings primarily in the Village of Rhinebeck's center (and surrounding area)-- and solar canopies to provide shade with electric charging stations for commercial/municipal parking lots in the Village of Rhinebeck and the surrounding area (preserving open space for the Rhinebeck Farmers Market in back of the large parking lot opposite the firehouse, of course). http://commercial.energizeny.org/commercial-finance-program
Third, sign this petition if you support the goal of solar for all Dutchess County government building roofs and solar canopies to provide shade for all Dutchess government parking lots (with electric charging stations)-- and the goal of helping commercial buildings across our county going solar/geothermal as well (with solar canopies for parking lots all over Dutchess too with electric charging stations as in Ulster County, as recognized by even National Geographic magazine). http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/ulster-county/2016/11/14/ulster-county-national-geographic/93804878/
Fourth, sign this petition if you think that at least some of the current record-setting $59.6 million Dutchess County fund balance (budget surplus) should be spent helping homeowners in Rhinebeck, Clinton, and Dutchess County get no-money-down solar/geothermal for their properties-- with a new Dutchess County Green Energy Jobs Revolving Loan Fund (the savings on electric bills paying off the cost of the loans, making it a win-win for all; this idea comes from Mark Dunlea of http://www.GELFNY.org .) https://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2017/May/04/DC_2016_fiscal-04May17.html
Fifth, sign this petition if you agree that Dutchess County should follow the good example of Broome, Erie, Rockland, Suffolk, Tompkins, Ulster, and Westchester counties and provide an exemption on county sales tax on the retail sales and installation of commercial solar energy systems equipment. https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/publications/sales/pub718cs.pdf
Sixth, sign this petition if you agree that Dutchess County could and should work towards the goal of going completely fossil-fuel-free by 2030, as a 2013 Cornell Stanford report proved possible, creating 67,000 new green construction jobs locally, 865 permanent new green jobs, saving $537 million annually for Dutchess County residents, businesses, and municipalities on energy/electricity costs, saving 59 lives annually (extrapolating Dutchess numbers from statewide figures showing a potential of 4.5 million new green construction jobs going fossil-fuel-free across NYS by 2030, creating 58,000 permanent new green jobs as well, saving literally $36 billion on electric/energy costs, and saving 4000 lives annually from cleaner air. http://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/NewYorkWWSEnPolicy.pdf
Fact: Two years ago my resolution passed unanimously for Dutchess to join the NYS Energy Improvement Corporation so that local businesses across our county can access essentially free (hardly any cost) loans for renewable energy/efficiency retrofits; commercial enterprises could and should take advantage of this (and Dutchess County government itself should sponsor an open/public friendly competition among local municipalities to see which town/city/village has the highest per-capita participation rate in this program). http://commercial.energizeny.org/commercial-finance-program
Fact: Across the country, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, pavement makes up 35 to 50 percent of total surface area in cities, and 40 percent of that pavement is parking lots; Staples national headquarters, the Washington Redskins' FedEx Field, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power all have large solar canopies for their parking lots.
Fact: "The City of Santa Cruz installed a solar canopy over two of its publicly owned parking lots. In addition to generating electricity and providing shade, the carports have charging stations for municipal electric vehicles. Overall, the two systems produce an average annual savings of $73,000 and meet more than half of the electricity demand for the sites where they were installed. Total savings for the 25-year lifetime of the system: more than $4 million. The University of Colorado, Boulder installed a solar carport at their Mountain Research Center. Like the City of Santa Cruz, CU Boulder’s carport is also wired for electric vehicle charging stations. The university’s solar parking lot offers an average annual savings of $21,750, equivalent to an eight percent return on the initial investment. In the two years after this initial system was installed, CU Boulder built two more solar carports on its campus, helping to achieve LEED Platinum status for some of the buildings." http://news.energysage.com/solar-canopy-installations-bring-shade-clean-energy-parking-lot/
Fact: GOP San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is working together with the San Diego Chamber of Commerce and the Dem-led City Council there to make the entire city there fossil-fuel-free by 2035; 1400 mayors across U.S.: same thing(!). https://www.buzzfeed.com/zahrahirji/cities-embrace-100-percent-clean-energy-goal
Email all 25 of us at countylegislators@dutchessny.gov, speak with other local officials directly, and feel free to contact me at joeltyner@earthlink.net or 845-464-2245 or 845-876-2488; see the Sierra Club's http://www.Readyfor100.org , Bill McKibben's http://www.350.org , or Paul Hawken's http://www.Drawdown.org for more inspiration/information (pertinent here-- there is absolutely no need-- none whatsoever-- for the proposed 1100-megawatt fracked-gas Cricket Valley power plant in Dover that would spew 10 million tons of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants into our air annually; would be largest gas-fired power plant in the northeast; roughly twice as big as 650-megawatt CPV plant nearby; see http://www.ProtectOrangeCounty.org ).
Joel Tyner, Dutchess County Legislator (Rhinebeck/Clinton), 324 Browns Pond Road, Staatsburg, NY 12580, Host of "Working Class Dutchess" on Facebook and on WHVW.com 950 AM Saturday mornings 8 am to noon (call 845-345-0163)
[yes solar farms ARE needed here in Dutchess County-- but must be done right: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2016/11/23/big-solar-coming-nys-though-wary/94275928/ ; http://www.townofrosendale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Scaling-Up-Solar-Media-Release-for-4.4.16.pdf ]
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The best idea in a long time: Covering parking lots with solar panels
By Chris Mooney January 28, 2015
America is a nation of pavement. According to research conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, most cities’ surfaces are 35 to 50 percent composed of the stuff. And 40 percent of that pavement is parking lots. That has a large effect: Asphalt and concrete absorb the sun’s energy, retaining heat — and contributing to the “urban heat island effect,” in which cities are hotter than the surrounding areas.
So what if there were a way to cut down on that heat, cool down the cars that park in these lots, power up those parked cars that are electric vehicles (like Teslas), and generate a lot of energy to boot? It sounds great, and there is actually a technology that does all of this — solar carports.
It’s just what it sounds like — covering up a parking lot with solar panels, which are elevated above the ground so that cars park in the shade beneath a canopy of photovoltaics. Depending of course on the size of the array, you can generate a lot of power. For instance, one vast solar carport installation at Rutgers University is 28 acres in size and produces 8 megawatts of power, or about enough energy to power 1,000 homes.
Solar carports have many benefits, ranging from aesthetics (yes, the things look very cool) to subtler factors. Like this: Not having to return to a hot car after spending three hours at the mall or a sporting event in the summer. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, being able to park in the shade in the summer is actually a substantial contributor to increased vehicle fuel efficiency, because it saves having to cool your car back up by cranking the air conditioner.
According to Chase Weir of TruSolar, the cost to install a solar canopy today is less than the cost to install a rooftop just a few years ago.
Still, there aren’t all that many right now. According to Scott Moskowitz of GTM Research, which released a study of the sector last year, by the end of 2014 there were an estimated 600 megawatts (or 2.5 billion dollars) worth of solar canopies installed in the U.S. In energy terms, though, 600 megawatts isn’t a very big number. Just consider: The Hoover Dam has a capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts, the world’s biggest coal plant is close to 6,000 megawatts, and even the world’s largest solar plant is 550 megawatts.
So at least for now, the market remains relatively niche. The carports seem to be particularly popular with large companies, which can afford them and where they can provide an impressive display at their corporate campuses. Thus, they’ve been installed by Munich RE, Dow Jones & Co., and Staples, among others.
They’ve also been used to adorn hotels, such as one just unveiled at the Phoenician, a luxury hotel in Scotsdale, Arizona:
A solar array now sits atop a parking structure at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan. 14, 2015. The project is the first of several planned as a result of a partnership between Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and NRG Energy and was unveiled on Jan. 14, 2015. The project will feature 2,000 photovoltaic solar panels totaling nearly 600 kilowatts.
And then there are other large-scale installers: One of the best known solar carports is at the Washington Redskins’ FedEx Field, where a gigantic solar array covering 841 parking spaces is able to generate enough power to cover “20 percent of the stadium’s power needs on game days and all of its power on non-game days,” according to Clark Construction, which installed it.
Laurence Mackler, who founded the solar carport installer Solaire Generation, says his company has now installed 50 megawatts worth of carports nationwide and has seen costs steadily decline over time...
A 2014 market research report on solar carports by GTM Research found that solar carports are mainly springing up in Arizona, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York and most of all California, which is more than half of the total market. For the most part, the report notes, that’s because these states offer an array of state financial incentives to support their development.
Clearly, the most important state is California, where according to GTM Research, solar carports have been supported both by the California Solar Initiative and also by the Division of the State Architect, which oversees construction on many public buildings. Moskowitz says that as costs of installation continue to decline, he does expect the solar carport market to expand into other states, too.
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http://news.energysage.com/solar-canopy-installations-bring-shade-clean-energy-parking-lot/
Solar canopy installations: bring shade and clean energy to your parking lot
The financial and environmental benefits of solar are greater than ever, and companies looking to benefit can now install a solar canopy over their parking lots to share in the savings. Businesses across the country are building solar parking lots that provide shade for cars while simultaneously generating renewable energy – and they’re saving thousands of dollars on electricity bills in the process.
What is a solar canopy?
Solar canopies are elevated structures that host solar panels and provide shade. These overhead solar panel installations are typically installed in parking lots or other paved areas.
In practice, solar canopies are similar to solar carports and ground mounted solar panels – each provides an alternative to rooftop solar, whether because a roof can’t host solar panels or because a property’s electricity needs are too large for a rooftop solar system. Many solar parking lots also incorporate electric car charging stations so that drivers of electric vehicles can recharge with solar power while parked.
Benefits of solar parking canopies
The benefits of solar are well documented: when you install a solar energy system, you reduce your electric bills, protect against rising energy costs, and reduce your impact on the environment. Solar parking lots have a few additional benefits that standard roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar panel systems don’t always offer.
Solar canopies are an efficient use of space
Parking lots are an untapped opportunity for solar installations all across the country. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, pavement makes up 35 to 50 percent of total surface area in cities, and 40 percent of that pavement is parking lots. Installing a solar canopy over an existing parking lot is simply a more efficient use of space than installing a standard ground-mounted system – when you build a solar canopy, you add more uses to the same square footage and don’t have to set aside additional space.
Solar panel parking lots also provide shade
If you’ve ever had to get into a hot car that has been sitting in the sun all day, it’s easy to understand why the shade that solar parking canopies offer is another major benefit. However, shade isn’t just a matter of comfort in your car. When you build a solar canopy in your parking lot, the shade it provides can also improve the fuel economy of cars that park under it.
According to FuelEconomy.gov, running your car’s air conditioning (AC) system is the main cause of reduced fuel economy in hot weather. Under very hot conditions (such as when your car has been baking in the hot sun), using the AC can reduce a conventional vehicle’s fuel economy by more than 25 percent. For hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles, the effect can be even larger. By keeping cars cool on hot days, solar parking lots reduce the need for heavy air conditioning use.
Canopy parking can be oriented for maximum production
Rooftop solar arrays are restricted by the characteristics of the roof on which they are installed. If your roof isn’t at the right angle, doesn’t face south, or has obstructions like chimneys, skylights, or vents, then your solar array will be less productive. The solar panels on your parking canopy, however, can be oriented so that they produce as much electricity as possible, which means maximum savings.
How much can you save with a solar parking canopy installation?
Your solar canopy economics will depend on the size of your system and how much you currently pay for electricity. A few things to keep in mind:
Solar panels typically reach their maximum production in the afternoon, when demand charges can be very high. If your business is subject to demand charges during moments of peak electricity consumption, a solar canopy can dramatically reduce your bill by cutting your grid electricity use during those times.
A solar parking lot will cost more than a similarly sized rooftop installation because of the additional labor and equipment needed to construct the canopies to host the panels. However, as mentioned above, solar canopies also offer additional environmental benefits, can produce more electricity, and aren’t subject to the same space restrictions as rooftop systems.
In addition to the tax breaks available for solar, businesses that construct solar canopies (and other types of solar panel systems) can write off the value of their solar energy systems through the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS), which reduces businesses’ tax burden and accelerates returns on solar investments. Qualified solar energy equipment is eligible for a cost recovery period of five years. Accelerated depreciation can reduce your net system cost by an additional 30 percent.
For more on the financial benefits of solar, take a look at the case studies below from the EnergySage Solar Marketplace.
City of Santa Cruz, CA
The City of Santa Cruz installed a solar canopy over two of its publicly owned parking lots. In addition to generating electricity and providing shade, the carports have charging stations for municipal electric vehicles.
Overall, the two systems produce an average annual savings of $73,000 and meet more than half of the electricity demand for the sites where they were installed. Total savings for the 25-year lifetime of the system: more than $4 million.
University of Colorado, Boulder
The University of Colorado, Boulder installed a solar carport at their Mountain Research Center. Like the City of Santa Cruz, CU Boulder’s carport is also wired for electric vehicle charging stations.
The university’s solar parking lot offers an average annual savings of $21,750, equivalent to an eight percent return on the initial investment. In the two years after this initial system was installed, CU Boulder built two more solar carports on its campus, helping to achieve LEED Platinum status for some of the buildings.
How to get your own solar panel parking lot
Solar parking canopies are a major construction investment with the potential for major savings. The best way to determine which solar canopy option is the best option for your property is to compare multiple offers from qualified solar installers in your area.
On the EnergySage Solar Marketplace, you can get quotes from pre-screened installers local to you and compare them based on pricing, savings, system size, and equipment. To get started, register your property and specify in the “add details” section that you are looking for a solar parking lot installation. If you are building a canopy from the ground up for this project, simply drag the pin to your parking lot or other area where you would like the solar canopy to be built.
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Petition created on August 1, 2017