Why solar carports? The solar carport requirement is now mandatory in Baden-Württemberg

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Published on: June 28, 2021 / Updated on: September 6, 2022 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Solar carports: Solar carports in Germany – the future? – Image: Xpert.Digital | Solcan Design | Shutterstock.com

Why solar carports are now important

It's about to begin! In just over 6 months, Baden-Württemberg will introduce mandatory solar panels for carports.

With the introduction of mandatory solar panels, several things will change in Baden-Württemberg starting January 1, 2022. This applies to private parking lots with more than 35 parking spaces. This will primarily affect retail, commercial, and industrial businesses. Anyone constructing a new building from 2022 onward will be required to equip their parking spaces for customers and staff with photovoltaic systems.

Many questions need to be answered. Many people are encountering this topic for the first time, and good advice is hard to come by. Especially for commercial and industrial applications, solar carports must meet different requirements than private installations. Private solar carports, or carports in general, typically lack impact protection. They are usually built primarily on a wooden structure. In such cases, the prevailing attitude is: better to damage my carport in a collision than my car. The opposite is true for solar carport installations. These involve the safety of a large number of parking spaces, which cannot be maintained and serviced in the same way as a single private carport. A wooden structure requires regular maintenance, which can become a problem with large solar carport installations.

A solar carport alone isn't enough. 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.

In addition:

Demand for electric vehicles is rising. The number of electric vehicles worldwide has increased more than fiftyfold since 2012. In 2007, there were a total of 8 new electric car registrations in Germany. By 2019, this number had risen to 194,163! From January to May 2021, it had already reached 115,296 new registrations. This trend is expected to continue. Solar carports are already attractive investment goods. This also translates into increased appeal for personnel and customer development, making the production and company location more attractive.

Suitable for:

New passenger car registrations with alternative drive systems in Germany

Number of new registrations of passenger cars with alternative drive systems – Image: Xpert.Digital

New registrations of passenger cars with alternative drive systems in 2020

Hybrid – 527,864 passenger cars
Electric – 194,163 passenger cars
Natural gas – 7,159 passenger cars
Liquefied petroleum gas – 6,543 passenger cars

New registrations of passenger cars with alternative drive systems in 2019

Hybrid – 239,250 passenger cars
Electric – 63,281 passenger cars
Natural gas – 7,623 passenger cars
Liquefied petroleum gas – 7,256 passenger cars

Electric vehicles are eligible for subsidies in Germany.

The purchase (or leasing) of various types of electric cars is eligible for a subsidy in Germany through the so-called environmental bonus. Vehicles being registered for the first time are eligible for this subsidy. To date, the environmental bonus has been most frequently claimed for purely battery-electric vehicles.

Alternative drive systems with growing market share

Both hybrid and electric cars have seen increased demand in recent years. Consequently, the share of cars with diesel and gasoline engines is declining.

The requirements for large solar carport systems are therefore:

The solar carports must have a scalable and modular design. Expansion options must be available.
Durable material and weather resistance that rarely requires maintenance.
Impact protection is important
Compatibility with other systems such as charging stations, energy storage systems, and more

Suitable for:

The solution is the HELIOS solar carport system from T.Werk:

Scalable & modular: Available as a single, double or arbitrarily scalable row carport
Can even be used in the standard version for very high wind and snow loads (s _k = 2.2 kN/m²)
Extra large and wide parking spaces and very easy parking thanks to W-shaped supports
High-quality design for sophisticated and long-lasting requirements: Hot-dip galvanized steel construction (DIN EN 10346, DIN EN 1461)
Quick and easy assembly
Stable strip foundation as collision protection
Individually customizable design (color, materials, surface, size, etc.)
Installation of charging stations and inverters is possible at any time

That's why Xpert.Solar offers carport consulting for businesses and industry, featuring the HELIOS solar carport from T.Werk.

Konrad Wolfenstein

I would be happy to serve as your personal advisor.

You can contact me by filling out the contact form below or simply call me on +49 7348 4088 965 .

I'm looking forward to our joint project.

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Xpert.Digital – Konrad Wolfenstein

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