Carports have been around for many years in sunnier countries to protect vehicles from the sun. It was a natural step to add solar PV to the roofs of carports to generate energy for use in the carpark and associated buildings.

Generally, a solar carport will require planning permission from the local authority and permission will need to be granted from the local distribution network operator, who will determine if a connection can be made to the local grid, and if so, on what terms.

As part of the first-class service from FlexiSolar, all planning application documents are included – such as Design and Access Statements, Biodiversity Assessments and Building Regulations, as well as Glint and Glare Analysis.

Financial performance of solar carports can be significantly increased by choosing appropriate sites for installation. The most favourable carpark layout is long, double rows of car parking that is adjacent to high energy users. Examples that present such layouts include hospitals, airports, retail parks and large commercial premises.

Utilising existing parking areas generates power without sacrificing valuable land resources.

Take a look at our solar carports here.

Once a system is installed and all notifications are complete, we will assist you to complete a feed in tariff application form and submit it to your chosen FIT provider, usually your electricity supplier.

Installation can only begin once planning and DNO approval are in place which can take up to twelve weeks. Then, depending on the scale of the project, installation can take place at quieter periods and in sections to minimise disruption. A compound may be needed to hold equipment, construction offices and welfare facilities. Health and Safety throughout setup and installation is a priority however we would endeavour to minimise the construction footprint to allow sections of the carpark to remain active.

The raw costs for solar PV systems have been falling for a number of years now. This, combined with the ongoing above inflation rise of electricity costs, combine to make solar carports an attractive financial proposition.

We are the UK’s leading solar carport designer and manufacturer. We designed our first solar carport over a decade ago and have been refining and developing our solutions ever since. We have installations across the country, covering more carpark bays than any other manufacturer.

View projects that we have been involved in. 

This will depend upon a number of factors including location, orientation and size. As a rule of thumb a current solar carport bay will produce 2kWhp. As PV panel sizes increase so will this figure.

This will depend on a number of factors including size, ground conditions, locality etc. Our objective is always to make the return on investment viable and attractive as we can. We offer CAPEX and PPA solutions tailored to meet ROI needs.

When we install our solar carports we are creating an opportunity to ‘future proof’ a carpark for the anticipated uptake in EV and EV charging in the coming years. We can lay infrastructure that provides for additional future requirements to suit.

We are charge-point agnostic. If the client has a preferred option then we will happily install them. If they do not then we will look to the most suitable charge point for the installation. We have also developed our own range of charge-points that are built upon industry leading technology

We are also battery agnostic. Every project is different and so we identify the right solution for the client needs and engage.

It is up to the client how many charge points we install. As a rule of thumb we think a figure of 10% of carpark bays is a good place to start. For larger sites this may reduce. We consult with the client and agree an appropriate figure.

We will discuss future proofing as part of the feasibility for every project. We can lay additional infrastructure that enables the client to retro-fit additional charge points with minimal fuss.