Parking & Automotive / California
Solar Carports for New Construction
A solar carport turns a parking lot into a power plant with shade. For new construction it is often the easiest way to add capacity the roof cannot hold, and the Energy Code counts carports toward Solar Access Roof Area. The difference between a carport that fits the site and one that fights it is whether the foundations, drainage, lighting, and EV conduit were in the civil drawings.
Eventure's Role
Eventure designs solar carports for developers, architects, and civil engineers as part of the site plan, not as an afterthought to it.
We bring solar into the project at schematic design, size the Energy Code requirement, coordinate the roof, structure, electrical rooms, and battery location with your architect and engineers, and carry the system through permitting, utility interconnection, inspection, commissioning, and closeout.
Title 24 treatment
Carports and covered parking count toward Solar Access Roof Area under Section 140.10 and the multifamily provisions, and PV may be installed on carports on the lot to meet the requirement. Carports are also a common strategy where rooftop area is limited by equipment or fire pathways.
Design Considerations
What is different about solar carports.
- Canopy geometry and parking layoutSingle-cantilever, double-cantilever, and T-style canopies suit different stall layouts and drive aisles. We select geometry with the civil engineer to protect parking counts and circulation.
- Foundations and utilitiesColumn foundations must avoid utilities, drainage, and landscaping. Coordinating during site design keeps the carport out of conflict with everything underground.
- Lighting, drainage, and EV chargingCanopies carry lighting, collect rainwater that must be managed, and provide the ideal location for EV chargers. All three are designed together.
- Incentive and program fitSome utility programs favor carports. In LADWP territory, for example, the Feed-in Tariff includes adders for qualifying carport projects. We confirm current program terms for each site.
Keep Solar Off the Critical Path
Don't let solar be the last thing standing between your project and its Certificate of Occupancy.
On solar carports projects, as on every California building, the Energy Code requirement, the fire authority's review of the battery, the utility's interconnection timeline, and the building's final inspection all depend on the solar scope being designed, permitted, installed, and documented in sequence. We treat it as a scheduled trade from day one.
Solar and the Certificate of Occupancy
Questions
Solar Carports solar, answered.
Does a solar carport count toward the Title 24 solar requirement?
Yes. The Energy Code includes covered parking, carports, and new structures capable of supporting PV in Solar Access Roof Area, and allows the required PV to be installed on carports on the lot.
Do solar carports reduce parking count?
Not when designed with the parking layout. Column placement is coordinated with stall and aisle dimensions so the lot keeps its count, and the canopy adds shade and lighting the lot did not have.
Related
More parking & automotive building types.
All parking & automotive · All building types · Where we work
Discuss Your Project
Planning solar carports in California?
Send us the drawings at any stage. We will size the Title 24 requirement, review the roof and electrical approach, and map the path to a Certificate of Occupancy that does not wait on solar.