As some claim that the economic stimulus package from a year ago did very little to jump start the economy, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey used some of that state allocated money to build their school a solar carport. This particular solar carport is considered the largest in the nation. This particular carport uses 851.8 kilowatts to power buildings on campus, but, over time, it will save 1.2 megawatts. As it was funded by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the carport was the first structure to be built with state federal economic stimulus funding. As far as students on campus are concerned, this large carport gives them an option for parking in the shade.
This news item and others about solar carports opens up the question, why carports for solar energy? While we have discussed how the structure of a carport is ideal for supporting photovoltaic panels, these solar carports can or will serve an eventual purpose of not only powering buildings – and reducing money spent on electricity over time – but any electric cars will be able to use this energy, as well. In essence, every building will need to use solar power in the future to power itself and save on electricity costs, while reducing its carbon foot print at the same time.
As more buildings, particularly schools and office buildings like we’ve seen so far, expand into efficient energy options, will there be more of a need for carports? In the present, perhaps, as using a carport for photovoltaic panels often has a double use. Workers or students use it to park under, and the photovoltaic panels, supported and angled by the carport, absorb enough of the sun’s energy to power a building or vehicles. Unless another system is developed, the design of a carport seems most ideal for this solar energy option in the present.
