The times are such that there are fewer and fewer items with only one function. The phone has long become the mobile command center of the universe, and watches measure heart rate, stress levels and calorie burning rate. Why shouldn't the same be true of a garage or parking shed?
From this article you will learn:
- what is carport,
- what additional equipment it may have,
- what benefits it brings.
What is a carport?
Carport is a parking space equipped with a photovoltaic installation , allowing for better use of the current infrastructure in many facilities. This solution is becoming more and more popular among private and business investors. Its advantage is the independent foundation of the photovoltaic installation on the ground, without burdening the roof structure and without the need to allocate space for the panels. This problem affects many commercial buildings.
Carport installations are widely popular among investors :
individual,- business,
- housing communities,
- facility administration,
- universities and other educational, cultural and medical units.
This is an ideal solution for producing electricity from the sun, in line with the latest environmental trends. By using additional energy storage, it allows for greater energy independence , which is currently an issue that is gaining in importance.
Carport functions
Carports not only play a role in energy production, but also constitute an ideal covered parking space for passenger cars and bus/van delivery vehicles, and are also charging stations for electric cars , bicycles, scooters and scooters .
They can be painted in any color from the RAL palette, which allows the investor and architects to appropriately match aesthetic considerations to the surroundings , e.g. the color of the building facade or fence.
Since carports can function as charging stations, they are optionally equipped with additional accessories , such as:
car chargers ,- bicycle charging stations,
- scooter charging stations,
- electric sockets.
This solution is increasingly used in parking lots near office buildings, shops, stations and shopping malls. Sheds are available in one-, two-, four- and six-station versions.
How are carports constructed?
Carport shelters are made of cold-formed C-type profiles made of high-strength steel and covered with MAGNELIS zinc coating , which ensures long years of use. Thanks to the use of a simple yet durable structure, assembly of such a shelter is extremely easy and quick. The supporting structure is made in a V arrangement and rests on its own independent weights placed in the ground. The Z-shaped roof beams use a universal method of mounting photovoltaic modules, which allows the installation of panels with a power of 380 to 455 W.
Depending on the power of the PV modules used, it is possible to obtain an installation size for 380 W modules from 4.56 to 20.52 kW, and for 455 W modules from 5.45 to 24.57 kW . If we are to move away from coal and other fossil energy sources in a short time, we will soon see more of such structures, and the word carport will quickly enter the Polish dictionary.