On a clear day at noon in the temperate zone, there’s about a kilowatt – 1000 watts – of energy falling on every square foot of open ground. A free kilowatt, if you could capture it. Of course, energy harvesting technology isn’t totally efficient: most photovoltaic solar panels only output usable electricity equal to about 15% of the energy that falls on them. Even so, if you harvested the sunlight from an average parking space, 162 sf, you could produce about 24 kilowatts. Generating that kind of energy without burning any fossil fuels could save some nice money, and reduce some nasty pollution.
If your solar panels were eight feet off the ground, you could park your car under them to keep it cool, too. And if you happened to own a large parking lot, and solar-paneled all the spaces, you’d have it “made,” so to speak: a sizeable financial resource, a large environmental benefit, and covered parking.
That was the kind thinking that made Dell Loy Hansen, primary owner of the Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer team, decide to put solar carports on the parking lot of Rio Tinto Stadium.
Related Stories
Energy Efficiency | Apr 23, 2018
New toolkit offers local governments energy-saving strategies for buildings
Provides estimates on savings for various policies.
Green | Apr 13, 2018
evolv1 earns Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building-Design certification
The multi-tenant commercial office building is currently under construction.
Sustainability | Apr 10, 2018
Thermal comfort, big impact
CallisonRTKL’s Pablo La Roche explains how outdoor thermal comfort could mitigate the effects of climate change.
Sustainability | Apr 9, 2018
Planning for 100: Looking beyond the horizon of zero-net-energy buildings
Imagine a future where buildings and infrastructure are 100% utilized and 100% responsive.
Energy Efficiency | Apr 4, 2018
A new energy metric for building design and operations
A building with a higher occupant density may have a higher energy use, but expend less energy per person.
K-12 Schools | Jan 24, 2018
Hawaii’s first net-zero public school
G70 is the architect, planner, and civil engineer of record for the project.
Energy | Jan 12, 2018
Putting wastewater to work: America’s next great energy source
As much as 40 to 50% of a building’s energy literally goes down the drain every day.
Energy | Jan 11, 2018
Harvesting energy and profits: A new approach to MEP cost analysis
In the course of providing cost estimating services, educating the client on making prudent choices is a high priority.
Energy Efficiency | Dec 19, 2017
New building energy quotient portal gives quick analysis on energy performance
ASHRAE tool provides more automated approach to receive Building EQ Performance Score.
K-12 Schools | Oct 28, 2017
A new elementary school in Cambridge, Mass., aims at being a pilot for that city’s NZE commitment
The building’s programming will provide more access to the community at large.
