Photovoltaic solar carports and solar panels for flat and pitched roofs – Xpert.Digital / wadstock|Shutterstock.com
Solar carports as a further step towards the growing charging station infrastructure
In a survey, over 70% of experts from the e-mobility industry confirmed that the expansion of the charging station network has a strong impact on the electric vehicle market. A further 22% believe it has at least some influence on the electric vehicle market.
The number of roadside petrol stations has decreased over the past ten years. The number fell steadily from 14,410 in 2010 to 14,089 in 2020. In contrast, the number of charging points in Germany has increased almost tenfold between 2012 and 2021. With the growing popularity of electric vehicles, the number of charging stations will continue to rise in the future.
While a charging station consists of one or more charging points, the difference between a charging point and a charging station is that only one electric vehicle can be charged at a time at a charging point. Therefore, a charging station can consist of one or more charging points.
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Charging stations, along with wallboxes, are part of the charging points. There are currently over 39,500 charging points (as of February 2021).
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- Best Practice Solar Carport: What trade and industry in Baden-Württemberg need to know now
- Charging stations and solar carports together make sense: The circle is complete
39,500 charging points compared to 14,000 gas stations only looks impressive at first glance. However, the reality is that gas stations can refuel or charge far more vehicles simultaneously, and much faster. Estimates suggest that electric vehicle charging stations currently only offer about 10% of the charging capacity of gas stations. The patchy charging infrastructure further exacerbates the problem. This is especially true considering that the proportion of electric vehicles in daily traffic is still significantly lower. The issue will only worsen as the number of electric vehicles grows in the coming years, which is expected.
A solar panel mandate and the expansion of solar carports at open parking areas are intended to counteract this. In general, the expansion of renewable energies, primarily through solar parks , solar fields, and ground-mounted photovoltaic systems , is to be accelerated. The emission-free future of transportation and its infrastructure is being logically and consistently initiated not with the familiar electricity from the wall socket, but with solar carports and charging stations. Whether a solar panel mandate makes sense in this regard is still debated. However, the fact remains that public interest in solar panels is not yet widespread. While many people are environmentally conscious and ecologically minded, interest in solar panels themselves has remained relatively constant at just under 50% since 2013. It is certainly true that everyone should contribute to an emission-free environment and not wait for electricity from the wall socket to become emission-free and greener.
To increase charging options and simultaneously draw charging power from solar energy, open parking lots are now coming into play.
What are open parking spaces?
This does not refer to public parking spaces. Open parking spaces are usually:
- A storage area open at the sides, not a barn or shed or similar.
- Carports, covered parking spaces
- Uncovered parking spaces
- Parking available on a property
- Outdoor parking spaces
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In Baden-Württemberg, this applies to all open parking lots with 75 or more parking spaces. Section 8b of the Baden-Württemberg Climate Protection Act stipulates that " a photovoltaic system must be installed above the parking area suitable for solar energy use ." There is no alternative to this requirement, unlike the mandatory installation of photovoltaic systems on new non-residential buildings.
Our solar parking solution is modular and scalable:
- Quick and easy assembly
- Stable strip foundation as impact protection
- Customizable design (color, materials, surface, size, etc.)
- Installation of charging stations and inverters is possible at any time
- Scalable & modular: Available as a single, double or infinitely scalable row carport
- Even in its standard version, it can be used for very high wind and snow loads (sk= 2.2 kN/m²).
- Extra-large and wide parking spaces and very easy parking thanks to W-shaped supports
- High-quality design for demanding and long-lasting requirements: Hot-dip galvanized steel construction (DIN EN 10346, DIN EN 1461)
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Industrial flat roof solar systems and solar parks or photovoltaic open-field systems are another alternative
Anyone considering investing in a solar carport for their company premises and/or open parking areas should also consider installing a solar panel system on the company roof. Utilizing all available energy potential for an emission-free and autonomous power supply is also a competitive advantage and helps secure market share.
More information here:
Charging infrastructure and charging stations
Should the generated energy be fed into the grid or stored in energy storage systems? What are the load profiles, the technical connection requirements, the number of charging stations, the vehicle parking time, and ultimately, the total PV output? How will the charging sessions be recorded by the company if the employee charges their company car from home? These are questions we will have to address in the future. It's different from what we're used to today.
Related to this:
What impact does the expansion of the charging station network have on the German market for electric vehicles?
Expert survey on the influence of the charging station network on the electric car market – Image: Xpert.Digital
The statistic shows the results of a survey among eMobility experts in Germany who have been working in the field for at least two years. It concerns the impact of expanding the charging station network on the electric vehicle market. In 2018, around 6 percent of the experts surveyed believed that expanding the charging station network had little impact on the German electric vehicle market.
Survey on the availability of charging options for electric cars by electricity providers
Does your electricity supplier already offer public charging stations or charging stations for your own garage – so-called wallboxes – for electric cars?
Availability of charging options for electric cars by electricity providers – Image: Xpert.Digital
According to a 2019 survey, between 60 and well over 70 percent of respondents could not provide precise information about their electricity provider's charging options for electric cars. This was particularly pronounced regarding "wallboxes," the private charging stations for one's own garage.
The original wording of each question was as follows:
Does your electricity provider already offer charging stations for electric cars in public areas?
- 60% – Don't know/no answer
- 12.5% – No
- 27.5% – Yes
Does your electricity supplier offer charging stations for your own garage – so-called wallboxes?
- 77.1% – Don't know/no answer
- 14.1% – No
- 8.8% – Yes
Number of new charging stations in Germany from 2010 to 2021
Number of new charging stations in Germany from 2010 to 2021 – Image: Xpert.Digital
Around 4,500 new charging stations for electric cars went into operation across Germany in 2020, having completed the notification process with the Federal Network Agency. The largest increase to date was in 2019, with over 5,000 new charging points. In total, there are now over 19,600 charging stations for electric cars in Germany.
The source states: “The map shows the charging stations of all operators who have fully completed the notification procedure of the Federal Network Agency and have agreed to publication on the internet. The LSV (Charging Station Ordinance) does not allow for a complete recording of the entire German charging infrastructure. The number of publicly accessible charging stations in Germany is therefore greater than shown here.”
Due to late registrations, the data from previous years may change.
Related to this:
What is the development of new charging stations in Germany?
- 2010 – 89 charging stations
- 2011 – 254 charging stations
- 2012 – 153 charging stations
- 2013 – 144 charging stations
- 2014 – 315 charging stations
- 2015 – 620 charging stations
- 2016 – 1,174 charging stations
- 2017 – 2,040 charging stations
- 2018 – 4,107 charging stations
- 2019 – 5,019 charging stations
- 2020 – 4,530 charging stations
- 2021 – 1,146 charging stations (January to April)
Number of charging stations in Germany from June 2020 to June 2021
Number of charging stations in Germany from June 2020 to June 2021 – Image: Xpert.Digital
As of June 1, 2021, a total of 20,900 charging stations for electric vehicles were in operation across Germany, having completed the notification procedure of the Federal Network Agency. This represents an increase of approximately 270 charging stations compared to May 2021. The majority of these charging stations are located in the state of Bavaria.
The source states: “The map shows the charging stations of all operators who have fully completed the notification procedure of the Federal Network Agency and have agreed to publication on the internet. The LSV (Charging Station Ordinance) does not allow for a complete recording of the entire German charging infrastructure. The number of publicly accessible charging stations in Germany is therefore greater than shown here.”
Due to late registrations, the data for previous months may change.
Related to this:
What is the development of charging stations in Germany from June 2020 to June 2021?
- 15,680 charging stations – June 2020
- 16,034 charging stations – July 2020
- 16,385 charging stations – August 2020
- 16,685 charging stations – September 2020
- 17,067 charging stations – October 2020
- 17,461 charging stations – November 2020
- 17,960 charging stations – December 2020
- 18,656 charging stations – January 2021
- 19,158 charging stations – February 2021
- 19,635 charging stations – March 2021
- 20,114 charging stations – April 2021
- 20,633 charging stations – May 2021
- 20,900 charging points – June 2021
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That's why Xpert.Solar offers consulting services for solar carports, solar systems and solar systems on flat roofs for Heidelberg, Heilbronn and Pforzheim!
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