Commercial · Cary
Parking canopy at an independent school
88 kW of canopy that also solved a shade and drop off problem the school already had.
- Array88 kW DC
- StructureSingle slope steel canopy
- Spaces covered44
- EV charging6 Level 2 ports
Record
Full specification
- Array
- 88 kW DC
- Structure
- Single slope steel canopy
- Spaces covered
- 44
- EV charging
- 6 Level 2 ports
- Energy offset
- About 31 percent
- Teaching dashboard
- Live in the science building
The problem
The roof was not available: two mechanical replacements were scheduled within the decade and the school did not want an array in the way.
The parking lot had no shade at all, and afternoon pickup queues sat in full sun on asphalt from May through September.
What we did
Single slope steel canopy over 44 spaces, engineered for the wind zone and set high enough for a service van.
Six Level 2 charging ports fed from the same distribution, with load management so the canopy circuit never exceeds its rating.
Live production dashboard displayed in the science building, with data the teaching staff can export for lessons.
What happened
About 31 percent of annual campus consumption offset, and a shaded pickup lane that the parent association had been requesting for years.
Charging ports are used by staff and visitors, with the load management module keeping the feeder inside its rating without a service upgrade.
The physics department now runs a unit on irradiance and array output using the school's own data.
Canopies cost more per watt than rooftops and sometimes solve two problems at once. Counting only the energy return undersold this project to the board.
Next
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Send twelve months of kWh and a roof photo. You get a sized system, a production model and a payback figure before anyone comes out.
No pressure appointment. The site check is free and the design is yours to keep.