Twice this blog has posted about solar carports for businesses and commercial areas, but what about for the home? Apparently, that is now a possibility, according to a new product by Envision Solar called the LifePort. See the advertisement for the LifePort here:
While a patent is still pending for the LifePort, the LifePort itself appears to be what Romag and IX Energy have designed for a public location but for the home. As for the carports used in the design of a LifePort, they seem to have the basic structure of many metal carports but with an angled and sturdier roof to support solar panels or photovoltaic cells. The structure itself is made for plug-in hybrid electric cars to charge and, according to the advertisement, can support two cars. The photovoltaic cells themselves can generate up to 4.8kw of power and, with additional solar panels, up to a maximum of 6.4kw.
Granted, the video fro, YouTube is an advertisement and partially focuses on purchasing a LifePort for increasing property value. However, one of the key points mentioned is the versatility of the structure. While the LifePort can be a two-car carport, it is also large enough to be a permanent garage or a small building and, although similar in structure to the solar carport by Romag, it is specifically for homes and small businesses. On a practical level, the LifePort represents a solution for renewable energy for home use – not just commercial use. As the next step up for ubiquitous solar energy, one possibility of this solar carport is using it to shelter cars at home – much like any present carport – and charge it simultaneously and to use commercial carports, such as Romag’s model PowerPark, on the road to charge up the car again, as an electric or hybrid car will eventually run out of power. In equating these two semi-futuristic devices with modern day technology, a PowerPark will be much like a gas station for refueling a car with electricity, brought by solar energy, while a LifePort, when used as a solar carport, will serve as an at-home charging dock to get the car going.
