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Sunday, February 4, 2018

Solar Carport


If you drive an EV, one of the objections that you'll eventually hear is that EVs just move the pollution from the tailpipe to the coal plant. This is the long tailpipe argument. It has been disproven many times over, yet it continues to come up.

You can argue this point by citing sources that show how the grid is more efficient and that the amount of renewable energy on the grid is increasing... and these are important valid points, but it is a bit abstract. I find it is far more effective to say "My car is solar powered".

Our roof is covered with 12kW of solar panels. This is enough to power our EVs for about 48,000 miles annually. That is a much more powerful statement than saying "the grid is only 50% coal."

There are many homes where solar won't work for various shading or angle reasons. If you have these issues (or you just want more solar than your roof can provide), one thing that you might consider is a solar carport.

iSun makes solar covers that can be used with carports, gazebo, and patios. Here's a link to the company.

Having an EV parked under a solar carport is a clear and simple to understand statement about both emissions and energy independence.

iSun has a flat cover called the Palm and a new curved cover called the Oasis that comes out in February 2018.

If you're interested in a solar carport or pergola, here's iSun's link.
If you want solar panels on your house, here's Tesla SolarCity's referral code.

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