Swedish renewable energy system provider Innoventum has launched a solar carport line equipped with bifacial modules in a glue-laminated timber structure, along with electric vehicle charging, energy storage, lighting, and inverter equipment.
The Innoventum larch-wood carport features invisible timber connections and ground screw foundations, supplied by German manufacturer Krinner. Such foundations enable a quicker installation than conventional concrete forms and have a minimal impact on the environment, according to the manufacturer.
The Swedish company recently completed two 12-vehicle carports at the Schneider Electric Electropole office in Grenoble. The carports feature 136 bifacial double glass 430 W modules with a 30-year product and linear performance warranty.
Each is equipped with an advanced direct current (DC) microgrid solution developed by DC Systems B.V, a Schneider Electric company that is based in the Netherlands and specializes in DC systems for commercial and infrastructure applications.
The microgrid solution for parking lots enables a choice between off-grid or grid-connected operation. “It is an option that makes EV charging available anywhere,” Julien Daligault, Innoventum CEO, told pv magazine, noting that the only DC-AC conversion is at the interconnection to the grid.
The rest of the equipment operates in DC, including the solar panels, the electric vehicle chargers, and integrated LED lighting. The reduced number of DC/AC conversions in the various carport sub-systems means less cabling and reduced costs, according to Innoventum.
In addition to commercial property solutions, Innoventum offers a standardized line of small and medium-sized carport kits.
They have a snow load resistance of 2.5 kilonewton/m2 and include a waterproof racking system. There are three models. The Solar Carport 15, a 6.2 kW system measuring 29.9 m2 and supporting 30,000 km of charging a year; the Solar Carport 18, a 7.4 kW system, measuring 35.8 m2, and supporting 38,000 km of charging a year; Solar Carport 24, a 9.9 kW system, measuring 47.6 m2, and supporting 43,000 km of charging a year.
A white-colored hyper-reflective ground covering is optional to enable high-albedo and a quicker return on investment. Energy storage systems are supplied by Swiss manufacturer Studer Innotec. Advanced electric vehicle charging equipment can be supplied by CTEK Sweden.
A network for commercial industrial projects is being built, according to Innoventum. Sales are handled directly from Sweden, except in the U.K. where its renewable energy technology partner, Pure Energy (REGen) Ltd, is responsible for product marketing and installation.
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I don’t see anything special about this. We’ve had carports for many years in the western United States and yes, they offer a reasonable location for placing a pv array.
This seems to take up too many parking spaces!
The project looks beautiful and the power specs are fine but loosing 4 or 5 parking spots from a dozen makes me think I am missing something here. This project should have painted the blacktop with a highly reflective coating and then relined the parking spaces with narrower “compact car” spaces before taking the picture.