Solar Carport Frequently Asked Questions

A car park is a great place to install a solar carport for several reasons.

• Increased ROI: A solar carport installation turns a carpark from largely wasted space into an electricity-generating powerhouse. Now, your carpark is not just a place to store cars but a means of decarbonising your operations and saving money on energy bills.
• Huge Generation Capacity: A carpark offers a large blank canvas with a solar panel capacity which can be double, treble or quadruple the space offered by a rooftop.
• Not Limited by Roof Design: It's often not possible to install solar panels over a whole roof due to the design, orientation or structural strength of the roof. A car park has none of these limitations.
• Brand Statement: A solar carport installation makes an undeniable statement about your commitment to Net Zero and sustainability initiatives, to investors, clients and staff, as well as generating positive PR for your company.
  
  

Yes, we have the ability to do this. Get in touch directly for more information.

Nothing is wrong with putting solar panels on your roof. In fact, we recommend it, if you can do it. However, a carpark can provide significantly more generation potential than a rooftop.

Not all roofs are strong enough to support solar panels, so a structural survey will be required to check this. You'll also need to check orientation as this can significantly affect the amount of energy generated.

Yes. Our Solspan Discovery Report provides a detailed pack of information from expected carbon and financial savings to graphs showing the estimated power output of your carport through the year.

Based on your site and your data, the Solspan Discovery Report gives you the detail required to make informed decisions.

We offer two types of feasibility studies, a desktop report and an onsite report which includes a site survey.

Get in touch to find out more or request a feasibility study for your project.

On average, payback times for a solar carport installation vary between 8 and 15 years.

While this is generally longer than a rooftop solar installation, it's important to bear in mind that the carport frame is a one-off investment that will last for generations. 

While solar panels do have a lifespan of around 25 years, they can be easily replaced on the original carport frame.

You can use our Solar Savings Index calculator to calculate approximately how much electricity you can expect to save with a solar carport installation.

Input the number of spaces you would like to cover and your current electricity tariff to get an estimated yearly cost saving.

We also include a more accurate projection of energy cost savings in our quotes and feasibility studies.

Yes. We work with Tower Leasing, a reputable leasing company, to provide financing options with monthly or quarterly payments.

Your finance agreement can be tailored to your requirements and is an ideal way to pay for a commercial solar carport installation over a longer period, when upfront investment isn't feasible.

In fact the cost savings the carport will produce can significantly offset or completely cover the cost of your repayments.

Find out more about our leasing offer or get in touch to discuss leasing options for your installation.

You can find out how much carbon you can expect to save with our Solar Savings Index.

Input the number of spaces you want to cover to find out how much carbon you can expect to save over a year.

We also provide detailed projections of expected carbon savings in our quotes and feasibility studies.

Yes. Our Novasol carport is made from PEFC-certified spruce glulam timber (along with components made from 99% recycled steel), reducing the overall environmental impact of your installation.

We use glulam timber because of its incredibly high strength to weight ratio, which provides far superior performance to traditional wood and comparable performance to steel.

This enables us to achieve large spans between posts and roof projections of up to 12m, the same as a steel carport.

We try to use recycled steel as much as possible to minimise our environmental impact. For example, the steel components on our Novasol carports are manufactured from 99% recycled steel.

Using a Gradasol Max, we can achieve spans of up to 15m between posts.

This reduces the groundworks required, minimising cost and disruption.

Most of our carports can achieve spans between posts of 6m (Valasol) or 8m (Stilosol, Stilosol Plus, Novasol and Gradasol).

With a Stilosol Plus double roof carport, it's possible to have a roof projection of 16m.

The standard roof projection is 6m (for a single roof carport) or 12m (for a double roof)

We design the carport to minimise its footprint and avoid encroaching on parking spaces as much as possible.

Unless you opt for a Valasol with concrete ballast foundations, you should not lose any parking spaces because of the posts.

Approximately 12-16 weeks.

After agreeing on a contract and receiving a PO, we do a site survey and request technical site data from you, including ground surveys, topography reports, site layouts, etc. (If you don't have these available, we can do them for a small additional cost).

From receiving these reports and carrying out the site survey, our average lead time to complete the installation is approximately 12-16 weeks.

NB This lead time could be extended if planning approvals are required.

The roof angle depends on the orientation of the carport, for example is it east/west or south facing? 

We adapt the roof angle between 5 and 12 degrees to optimise sun exposure and maximise electricity generation.

Inverter placement is quite flexible. They can be installed inside your building, or in a separate contained area in your car park.

If your carport is a Gradasol or Gradasol Max, you also have the option to install the inverters inside the posts.

We can advise on the best place to site your inverter depending on the layout of your site.

Yes. We can powdercoat your solar carports in a RAL colour of your choice.

Yes.

Battery storage may not always be necessary, but we can help you decide if and how many batteries you will need.

The batteries will be installed as part of our packaged alongside the inverters, solar panels and electrical works.

All our solar carports are manufactured in Europe, to keep quality high and transport emissions lower.