Gloria Marsh, executive director of the York Region Environmental Alliance (YREA), is always looking for ways to make things better for ourselves and the planet.
Sometimes the best ideas come to you when you least expect them.
That’s what happened to Gloria Marsh when she walked through the community center parking lot on a hot day.
Marsh, executive director of the York Region Environmental Alliance (YREA), is always looking for ways to make things better for ourselves and the planet.
With the heat rising from the wide, sun-soaked expanse of asphalt, Marsh pondered the concept of covering the parking lots of civic centers, libraries, community centers, hospitals, and shopping centers with solar panels.
Leveraging the space to integrate renewable energy solutions into the region’s electricity infrastructure will support its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) to net zero by 2050.
The solar carport concept is already in use.
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) has created an Energy Oasis that includes solar power with EV charging stations. The BCIT project inspired the City of Burnaby to install a large solar canopy that will help power more than 100 EV charging stations in its parking lots.
Mohawk College received funding in 2018 to build a 200-car solar carport. The institution estimates that the structure has power equivalent to 400 houses.
Michigan State University has an extensive solar carport system across its campus parking lots covering over 5,000 parking spaces.
Eliminating the use of fossil fuels such as natural gas is a critical step in mitigating climate change. The use of renewable green energy sources such as solar power can help achieve this.
In addition, cars that are shaded from the sun absorb less heat and operate more efficiently, with the need for less air conditioning. Less ambient heat from shaded asphalt helps keep surrounding buildings cooler and more energy efficient.
A letter from YREA to federal ministers last fall urged them to consider funding to accelerate solar carport pilot projects. The group suggested that the federal Green Municipal Fund help finance the projects.
YREA has already presented the concept of solar carports to the Mayor of Vaughan and the councils for Georgina, King, and Newmarket. The group is available to present the concept to other municipalities in the region upon request.
“We plant the seed, and enlightened leaders can run with it,” Marsh said.
Andrew Yang, director of market strategy and innovation for Bullfrog Power, provides some data on the potential energy output and cost considerations for a solar carport. Since 2005, Bullfrog Power’s vision has been “to be Canada’s source for smarter, greener energy solutions.”
A solar carport consisting of a parking stall can produce approximately 3,500 to 4,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year with an estimated CO2 reduction of 0.11 to 0.49 tons per year, which varies with the proportion of renewables in the total energy mix of the grid. .
A typical EV such as a Tesla Model 3 or Chevy Volt requires approximately 50-65 kWh to charge an empty battery. A 100-stall carport can produce enough energy to fully charge more than 6,100 EVs per year.
The estimated cost is $15,000 to $25,000 per solar carport stall with an estimated simple payback period of eight to 12 years.
Yang explained that in provinces like Alberta, an increase in extreme weather patterns that include damaging hail forces businesses such as car dealerships to install carports to protect their inventory.
If there is a concurrent need for a carport, installing a solar roof adds a relatively small premium.
Although concepts like solar carports may be considered a bit outside the box, Marsh and the YREA have adopted a logical approach to sustainability. Going green is beneficial, but “we have to do all of this responsibly,” Marsh said, adding, “we have to look at the whole cradle to grave.”
Solar panels are durable and can last for 25 to 30 years. Global efforts continue to streamline recycling methods for panels that are no longer viable. The ultimate vision is to achieve a circular economy to recover and process old panels to make new ones.
YREA is a not-for-profit registered charitable organization with an ever-expanding mandate to address ecological issues affecting our health, environment, and planet. Visit yrea.org for information.
Jennifer McLaughlin is a reporter for the federally funded Local Journalism Initiative at the Markham Review