I can’t find the link anymore, but I thought that there was a Prius that had solar panels that pulled enough power in to maintain the A/C system in the summer…I might be wrong though.
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I don’t remember where but I saw a write up where walmart was looking at trying to go solar at some of their store’s by putting car port type cover’s with solar panels in about half of the parking spot’s to cut the store’s electric use.
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No, it put out enough power to run a small fan while parked, to reduce the heat buildup in the interior. In other words, a fraction of a hp, nothing near what a/c uses, much less a car uses while driving.
Cars aren’t big enough to carry a solar panel that would make a significant difference while they’re driving.
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Why not on the roof like Whole Foods?
The closest Walmart to me - their parking lot is FULL during Christmas season. And I mean FULL. And this is one of the Wallmart super centers. Take away half the parking spots would be devastating to them.
that makes sense. I won’t be surprised if as more research goes into battery technology, companies like Tesla will work on improving vehicle based solar charging (per @MikeInNH’s article above with the Tesla Truck)
="MikeInNH,
Why not on the roof like Whole Foods?
I am thinking that the parking lot panel’s were suposed to make up for the capacity that the roof did not have the space for.Also they would still be able to use the parking space’s if I am remembering right.
Looks more like a carport roof in this photo, best one I’ve found so far online
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I can see how that would work for adding solar for large commercial building’`s,
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It all comes down to a lot of square feet, preferably in a sunny location. The good thing with solar is that it tracks a/c use a lot better than wind power, which can be low in the summer, just when it’s needed.
I wonder how well adding solar to over hang’s like the picture you posted would work on gas station’s with added storage battery’s for power outages like hurricane’s to help with mandatory evacuation order’s
That’s a lot of batteries, even for a home. A big store like a wWalmart probably can’t spend that much on batteries. It might work for small commercial businesses like the gas station you mention. Another way to handle the excess power is to sell it to the electric utility. They are required to buy excess from residential users around me, but at very low prices. Better than nothing, though.
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Assumes there’s a charging station when you stop to eat for 30 mins. Gasoline is currently cheap. Gasoline cars currently cheaper than EVs and fueling is fast and available. I’m all for EVs when they are cost effective. They aren’t, yet, though.
People can plan their stops with that intention in mind. For instance, in my neck of the woods, somebody traveling South on US Route 1 can charge his/her Tesla at the Menlo Park shopping mall, where there are plenty of dining options–both casual and “white table cloth”. About 15 miles further south, there is a Panera where there is also a Tesla charging station. In both cases, there are at least 6 charging mechanisms.
Tesla’s internal GPS includes information on the location of their dedicated charging facilities, and if the other mfrs don’t include similar info on their GPS systems, then… shame on them.
Of course, this type of convenience would not be readily found in more rural areas… at least, not yet…
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Great idea. I’m all for it.
Years ago there was a study by Columbia University. They concluded that if all the roof-tops in NYC and the boroughs had solar they could reduce their electricity usage by over 20%. That’s a HUGE reduction.
Solar is now cheap enough for many people and businesses to take advantage of it. There are several business parks across the country that are installing solar parks in their unused land.
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