Solar powering the increasing fleet of electrical vehicles (EV) demands more surface area than may be available for photovoltaic (PV)-powered buildings. Parking lot solar canopies can provide the needed area to charge EVs but are substantially costlier than roof- or ground-mounted PV systems. To provide a low-cost PV parking lot canopy to supply EV charging, in this study, we provide a full mechanical and economic analysis of three novel PV canopy systems: (1) an exclusively wood, single-parking-spot spanning system, (2) a wood and aluminum double-parking-spot spanning system, and (3) a wood and aluminum cantilevered system for curbside parking. All three systems can be scaled to any amount of EV parking spots. The complete designs and bill of materials (BOM) of the canopies are provided, along with basic instructions, and are released with an open-source license that will enable anyone to fabricate them. Analysis results indicate that single-span systems provide cost savings of 82–85%, double-span systems save 43–50%, and cantilevered systems save 31–40%. In the first year of operation, PV canopies can provide 157% of the energy needed to charge the least efficient EV currently on the market if it is driven the average driving distance in London, ON, Canada.
- For designs, drawings, and calculations: https://osf.io/hz3rn/
- For OSHWA Open Source Certification: https://certification.oshwa.org/ca000014.html
Keywords[edit | edit source]
mechanical design; electric vehicle; solar energy; solar carport; electric vehicle charging station; Open-source; Photovoltaic; racking; biomaterials; wood; balance of systems; renewable energy; do-it-yourself
See also[edit | edit source]
- Electric Vehicle Charging Potential from Retail Parking Lot Solar Photovoltaic Awnings
- Performance and analysis of retail store‐centered microgrids with solar photovoltaic parking lot, cogeneration, and battery‐based hybrid systems
- Technical Solar Photovoltaic Potential of Scaled Parking Lot Canopies- A Case Study of Walmart U.S.A.
- Power and energy potential of mass-scale photovoltaic noise barrier deployment- A case study for the U.S.
- To Catch the Sun
- Open source DIY solar photovoltaic racking
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- Circular PV panel
Open Source Photovoltaic Racking Approaches[edit source]
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