Did you know that by 2040, the UK government aim to see three-quarters of cars and vans and nearly two-thirds of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on the road being electric?
This is a huge leap when you consider only 2.8 per cent of cars and 1.4 per cent of vans in 2024 were electric.
As such, the UK will need a massive roll out of electric charging stations to meet our needs, something solar carports can easily provide.
Off-grid in an unstable world
A great advantage of EV charging points is they can be self-sufficient when installed alongside solar carports and batteries, reducing your reliance on the grid and fluctuating energy markets.
Solar canopies provide cheap energy and offer a return on investment by selling energy to customers, visitors or employees through EV charging stations.
For example, the electricity generated from two Solspan carports covering a total of 80 spaces could potentially charge 3,500 cars a year.
Fast and superfast charge points currently sell electricity at prices ranging between £0.55 and £0.85 per kWh. By selling electricity at an average price of £0.79 per kWh (minimum), you can make £79,000 per 100,000 kWh produced. This option not only provides a good return on investment but also supports the growth of electric vehicles and promotes sustainability.
Likewise, excess energy can also be sold back to the grid, also providing return on investment, or you can install batteries and keep the energy for your own needs.
Although storage batteries can be expensive, especially if you need multiple batteries, they will save you money over the long term and help you reach your net zero commitments.
Slash your bills by storing energy
Solspan’s calculations show that just two carports covering a total of 80 spaces, equivalent to 1000m² of solar panels, could cut your electricity bills by between £29,000 to £42,000 per year.
Instead of selling the excess energy back to the grid at less than the market rate, energy generated over weekends and non-operational periods can be stored in the batteries saving you even more money.
They will further boost your revenue by allowing you to sell electricity to staff or the public through the EV charging points, or back to the grid.
These batteries can be fitted at the time or retrofitted to any solar system depending on your budget.
However, it’s important that the charge point voltage needs to be matched to generation capacity. For example, slower chargers would be better than superfast chargers because they require huge amounts of power very quickly and you may need extra charging infrastructure which is more costly.
Net Zero here we come - Solar Savings
Solspan’s solar savings calculator shows a potential annual saving of 3571.20kg CO2 if a business converted just ten car parking spaces to solar carports with batteries.
And if you cover 80 car parking spaces with solar carports, annual savings jump to a whopping 31 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of 6,851 cars driven on fossil fuels in one year.
Going green inspires loyalty
In addition, you may inspire more customer loyalty by offering a reliable source of energy at a good price via EV charging stations, encouraging longer dwell times.
EV charging stations are also likely to attract new customers, impressed by your commitment to going green.
If you’d like to find out more about solar carports, EV charging stations and batteries, please contact our team of experts who will be more than happy to talk through the options.
