Should You Get a Solar Carport in 2024?

How Do Solar Carports Work?

SunPower, a leading solar provider, put together this white board video, which nicely illustrates these benefits.

Solar carports use the same technology to generate solar energy as a typical ground-mounted or rooftop system. Like ground or roof-mounted solar panels, a solar carport converts the energy of photons (light particles) into electricity, a process called the photovoltaic effect.

When a photon hits a solar panel, its energy causes electrons to flow throughout the solar cells, producing an electric current. The resulting electricity is direct current (DC) power, which is commonly used in battery-operated devices. For household or commercial use, this current is converted into alternating current (AC) with an inverter.

Though solar carports utilize the same technology as other solar configurations, they offer several key benefits. First, solar carports require zero additional land, taking advantage of wasted real estate above a parking space. Second, because solar carports are installed higher than ground-mounted systems, they allow optimal orientation to get the most of the sun’s rays.

Solar carports offer a more efficient and unobtrusive way to gather energy from the sun when compared to ground-mounted systems. If space is an issue for your home or business, a solar carport is a great way to cash in on clean energy in the most efficient way possible.

How Much Do Solar Panel Carports Cost?

Like rooftop or ground-mounted solar, solar carport costs vary depending on the type of solar panel you choose, how much power you want to generate, how much space you want to cover and more.

A commercial solar carport, for example, usually spans one to three rows of vehicles, with many spanning as many as a dozen or more. Commercial solar carports almost always require steel construction, a further cost to installation. But while they come with multimillion-dollar price tags, they also provide multimillion-dollar benefits.

A residential solar carport, on the other hand, is much smaller and cheaper to construct than a large commercial unit. However, on average, they are more expensive than installing a full home solar system. This may be due to the increased labor and materials required for installation for the carport itself. Note that the cost to convert an existing carport to solar will be significantly less than a full solar array, which averages around $20,979 after the federal tax credit.

That said, solar carports can sometimes produce more energy than rooftop systems, as they can be designed to maximize sun exposure.

It’s impossible to provide a precise figure on residential solar carport costs, as prices range wildly based on the size of your system, but most 5kWh solar carports generally run between $11,400 to $18,850 out-the-door, without factoring in any federal or state rebates that can lower costs.

Federal Solar Tax Credit & Other Incentives

Homeowners who install a solar carport are eligible for the federal solar tax credit, which is currently valued at 30% of the system’s installation cost.

Additionally, many states and municipalities offer incentives for utilizing solar carports, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

If you can take the entire ITC for your solar carport, you could potentially bring down the average price for a 5kW solar carport from $16,650 to $11,655.

Solar Carport Installation

Unless you’re a skilled builder and electrician who can tackle a DIY solar panel job, installing a solar carport is best left to the pros. Solar carports are growing in popularity every year, so the number of reputable installers are meeting demand, and most top solar companies can install solar carports.

Here’s a short video that shows real footage of the installation process over a time lapse.

It’s important to note that a solar carport is more like a taller ground-mounted solar system than it is a standard carport — instead of building a carport structure and adding panels to the roof, the panels themselves make up the roof.

Another thing to be aware of is that some homeowners associations might not allow solar carports. Be sure to check with your HOA and obtain all necessary permits from local building agencies before getting started on your installation.

How is a Solar Panel Carport Different Than Rooftop Solar

Rooftop solar is the cheapest option for generating electricity, but for many homeowners, space, angle and obstructions present significant obstacles to getting enough solar energy out of their rooftops. Furthermore, ground-mount systems may be out of the question for homes and businesses pressed for space. In both of these scenarios, a solar carport is a viable alternative.

But solar carports aren’t just a last resort for those who can’t install ground or rooftop systems — they actually can make more sense. As stated above, solar carports offer greater flexibility for optimal orientation of solar panels, and they utilize an otherwise wasted space.

Problems of roof angle, shading, orientation and size are axed with solar carports, because the solar panels themselves function as the roof. Solar carport support structures are purposefully designed to provide optimal exposure to sunlight, an option most roofs can’t provide.

Another advantage is that, if a roof needs work before a rooftop solar system has expired, there’s an added cost associated with removing and reinstalling the system while the roof is worked on. With a solar carport, roofing issues are of no concern.

Standard carports protect vehicles against sunlight, wind, rain and snow. Keeping a car shaded during storage actually improves the vehicle’s fuel economy because of the reduced need to blast the air conditioning to cool the vehicle down upon entry. A solar carport provides these benefits and more: While keeping a car protected, it’s also pumping out clean electricity for a home or business.

For many homeowners, the decision will come down to price. You can get started with cost comparisons by filling out the form below to get a free, no-obligation quote from a top solar installer near you.

The cost information presented in this article is derived from a comprehensive analysis, incorporating data from multiple industry sources. The average cost per watt per state was calculated based on figures from Consumer Affairs, Energy Sage, and Berkeley Lab’s Electricity Markets & Policy Department. Additionally, monthly energy consumption and the average monthly cost of electricity were sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, ensuring a well-rounded and accurate representation of the information presented.