Solar Road Canopies: Types, Installation, Production Capacity, & More
Solar road canopies are a new type of solar structure installed above roads to capture solar energy on this readily available, under-utilized space.
They’re land saving and can increase solar power production while protecting our roads, vehicles, and road users.
Several governments have already invested in this technology, and they’re reaping significant economic and environmental benefits from it.
So you may be asking, what are solar road canopies? How are they installed? How do they work? Can I install them on my driveway or parking?
In this guide, we’ll discuss everything canopy road solar panels. So get ready to learn if you’re always excited about new inventions and technologies in solar power production.
What are Solar Road Canopies?
Solar road canopies, also known as solar carports, are elevated solar panels installed over roadways and highways. Solar carports are nowadays also a common sight in driveways and parking lots.
Solar canopies for roads leverage the free and readily available space on roads to produce power in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. They also offer other benefits, such as providing shade for vehicles and roads beneath them.
Types of Solar Road Canopies
| Type of solar road canopy | Description | Pro(s) | Con(s) |
| Monopitch | These are canopies with a single surface slope. The most appropriate tilt angle for these canopies is 5-10°. | Simple design makes it easy to install over roadways. | Anything beyond the 10° tilt angle reduces the shade on cars and the solar energy collected. |
| Duopitch | These are two surface slopes, one on the south and the other on the north, facing each other. The intersection of the two solar panels creates a valley that may be designed as a water collection tunnel. | Maximum PV solar energy production when the sun is both at the north and south sides. | Reflections and possible changes may occur, especially at greater tilt angles. |
| Barrel-arch | This is a single curved surface solar canopy. The curved surface translates to distinct tilt angles at every point. | Generally, curved solar canopies collect significant light at every sun position. | The solar canopies may not absorb maximum energy for a particular angle. |
Solar canopy design options
Architectural solar canopies- In this design option, the canopy solar panels are tilted at specific angles to match the sun’s direction. The panels can easily be tuned for water collection.
Fixed-tilt solar canopies- As you may already have guessed, these solar canopies have fixed modules whose tilt angle can’t be changed unless the entire structure is altered. This design is cheaper and suitable for large-scale projects.
How Solar Road Canopies Are Installed/ How they Work?
Unless a complex design or out of the box customization is needed for solar road canopies, the installation process shouldn’t be complicated, and it should follow the following procedure:
Step 1: Design
This is the most crucial step in solar road canopy installation. In this step, the following is done:
- Feasibility tests on the targeted roads or highways
- The cost of the entire project is estimated
- The best tilt angle of the solar panels is determined
- The types of solar panels/ supporting structures to be used are selected
- The most appropriate installation design is evaluated
- The coverage, expected output, and efficiency are computed
- The mode of power distribution that will be used is sorted
Step 2: Resources assembly
This is where all the essentials of the project are gathered. From the solar panels, support materials to access equipment and electrical components such as inverters- everything must be availed in this step.
Step 3: Actual installation
- The foundation and supporting structures are first erected.
- Solar panels are installed following the desired design and tilt angles.
- Lastly, necessary connections, either to inverters, battery storage, direct power outputs, or the grid, are made.
Step 4: Power distribution
Here the power produced by the solar canopies is distributed in surrounding homes, businesses, or government establishments.
Unless there's immediate use of the power produced (such as charging electric vehicles or powering road infrastructure), feeding it to the grid is the best distribution model.
Step 5: Maintenance
This is servicing the solar canopies to ensure that they're playing their intended role.
It can be as simple as checking that everything is intact and fixed in place to as complex as changing the tilt angle of an entire section of the solar panels.
The working principle
The working of solar road canopies is no different from what happens in conventional solar PV installations.
The solar panels collect sun rays and convert them to DC. The power can be used as a direct current or converted to AC by an inverter.
If the power is not used directly to power devices such as road lights and security cameras, it’s stored in a batteries-facility near the road. Alternatively, the power can be fed into the grid and distributed to nearby areas.
Solar Road Canopies over Roadways Vs. Solar Panels on Roadways
Solar roadways have caused a huge buzz online, with a good deal of people claiming that it's an impractical invention.
That aside, how do solar panels over roadways compare to solar panels on roadways?
This table explains it all.
| Factor | Solar Road Canopies over Roadways | Solar Panels on Roadways |
| Design and installation | Relatively simple to design and install solar panels over roadways. | Complex design materials and plans. Installing these solar panels, especially on roads with heavy traffic, can be hectic. |
| Unique benefits | Provide shade and a layer of protection for roads and road vehicles against weather and outdoor elements. | Provide an additional level of grip to conventional road paving materials. |
| Efficiency | Very efficient as a strategic design can eliminate the shading problem. | Low efficiency since the solar panels are shaded by passing vehicles reducing their power production efficiency. |
| Durability | Quite durable since they're not in contact with road vehicles. | The continuous stress on solar panels by cars deteriorates them, making them less durable. |
| Tilt customizations | Can be easily tilted to match the direction of the sun. | Solar panels are laid flat on the ground and can't be tilted for maximum energy collection. |
Solar Panels on the Side of Highways
Another solar road power generation technology is installing solar canopies on the side of roads or highways. It can be one or both sides of the road, depending on the targeted PV solar energy production.
The design and installation process is almost similar to that of standard solar road canopies, only that the plan considers the solar panels will not cover the entire span of the road.
Just like the conventional over-highways solar panels, this technology has its bright and dull sides:
Pros
- Easy to design and install
- Highly cost-effective
- Suitable for large scale projects
- Compatible with a wide range of road types
Cons
- Poor shading of the road and the road vehicles
- Limited to certain tilt angles
- Solar energy harnessing is not the best
The Production Capacity of Solar Road Canopies
Assuming that a 1m2 of solar panels has a power output of 150W, a 10KM road that’s 10m wide could produce around 15 Megawatt of power. Considering the massive road network, we have in our country, this is definitely a resource to tap into.
The cost of installation may go up due to the supporting structures needed for the solar canopies, but with kind of production capacity, the payback is definitely accelerated.
Solar Canopies for Driveways/ Parking Lots
As mentioned above, solar canopies can also be installed over driveways and parking lots.
The main advantage of solar canopies for driveways and parking lots is electricity cost reduction.
According to solar carport design and optimization work done at Bahawalpur, 14% of the electricity cost used initially for the parking lot was offset by installing the canopies.
The payback period of the total cost used for the project was around 6-7 years. This is definitely the kind of investment we’re all looking for.
Other than cost-effectiveness, solar canopies for driveways and parking lots reduce the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment- they reduce the need for burning fossil fuels.
Like solar canopies over roadways, installing solar panels over parking lots and driveways needs some design consideration.
For example, the test project mentioned above found that solar panels tilted at an angle of 10° collected the maximum solar energy.
The most profound thing about these inventions is that they're paving the way for integrated vehicle charging stations for electric cars. Needless to say that these types of cars are very promising in forming a clean transportation sector.
Advantages of Solar Road Canopies
Saves agricultural land
Installing solar panels on agricultural land is a waste of a resource in the pursuit of another. With solar carports, fertile agricultural land is reserved for food production purposes.
Government land such as highways and roads, which is readily available, is instead used to produce power.
Protects the road below from harsh weather conditions
A canopy of solar panels over a road will guard it against extreme precipitation and scorching sun conditions. The outcome of this is increased longevity of roads which is a great thing.
Provides shade for cars
It is not just about road protection. Solar road canopies protect all road vehicles. You may not believe it, but this can guard the pristine conditions of cars and possibly increase their lifespan.
Reduces accidents caused by rain
According to weather impact studies, most weather-related accidents in America are caused by rain.
A highway with a canopy of solar panels is sheltered from heavy rainfall, protecting drivers from fatal crashes.
Power road infrastructure
If a road has street lamps and/or security cameras, the power produced by the solar canopies can be used to power them. This can make a huge difference in reducing the cost of revamping our roads.
Can be a water collection medium
Canopy road solar panels can easily be designed to collect rainwater. The water can then be harvested and distrusted to the surrounding areas.
Is there a better way of transforming our roads than making them a power source as well as a water source?
A possibility of noise reduction
With proper installation designs, solar panels can bar the noise from roads to get to other areas.
Again, this needs stellar technological input and design since the solar panels need to be soundproof, both from the way they’re made and installed.
Disadvantages of Solar Road Canopies
Potential impact on the look of roads
Sure, roads are meant to serve as a transportation medium, but even so, installing solar panels all over may change the usual look of roads that we’re used to.
If, for example, an urban center has a robust road network, poor spacing of the solar modules may have a negative impact on the look of the area.
Sturdy design is needed
Solar canopies for roads must be firmly installed to withstand weather and road stresses.
This only means one thing: solar road canopies are not easy to install and may turn out to be a capital-intensive investment.
Needs very focused, regular maintenance
The solar panels over roadways must always remain intact in the place they’re installed. Otherwise, they may be a threat to traffic safety. With this in mind, it’s only with concentrated maintenance that roads with solar canopies will be safe to use.
Solar Road Canopies are the Future!
Solar energy is a free and readily available source of power that is not yet exploited optimally.
One of the main reasons for this is the lack of enough land to set up solar panels.
Luckily, current solar technologies are unlocking new power production possibilities day in and day out.
Solar road canopies seem to be up there in the list of emerging solar power trends, thanks to the great practicability and the unmatched benefits they come with.
For solar carports to work, though, the government as well businesses must be willing to invest in them. And considering that it's a decentralized form of energy production, it should be fully supported.
All in all, there’s no doubt that solar road canopies are the future of cost-effective and clean electricity production!