Exploring a Solar Carport as an Educational Tool at My School

[Anthropod]

I’ve been brainstorming a unique project and would love to get your thoughts. I’m an educator, and I’ve been considering building a solar carport at my school—not just for my personal EV charging needs but as an educational tool for students. Here’s the vision:


The carport would include solar panels, an inverter, a battery storage system, and an L2 EVSE (Level 2 charger). My daily commute is only 4-5 miles, so the energy requirements are minimal, but the learning opportunities could be huge! Students could gain hands-on experience with renewable energy systems, from installation to maintenance, as well as learn about energy monitoring and efficiency.


Technical Setup


• Solar Panels: I’m thinking of a small array. (At my wife's business we have a 26Kwh array, I'm thinking small , real small more like enough panels to cover the roof of a carport.

• Inverter: To convert the solar energy for EV charging and potentially other small uses.

• Battery Storage: For storing excess energy and allowing charging even when the sun isn’t shining, and to ensure a buffer as clouds come and go.

• L2 EVSE: For daily charging of my Mach-E and possibly future EV projects.


Educational and Community Impact

This project could help students understand the practical applications of renewable energy while inspiring the broader school community to think about energy independence and sustainability. It could also showcase how EVs can be integrated with clean energy systems.

Questions for the Forum

• Has anyone here worked on a similar project? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

• Any recommendations on panel sizes, inverter models, or battery systems for a small-scale setup like this?

• Thoughts on designing the carport for ease of maintenance and educational engagement?

• Any potential challenges I should be aware of, especially in combining solar, battery storage, and an L2 EVSE?

There looks like there is even a newer DC-DC option coming. (Seems real expensive though)

https://enteligent.com



Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions you might have!

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[Paul H. Martinez]

That is a brilliant idea indeed.
I built a solar generator to charge a Volt I'd owned.
It had 1200 watts solar, 1000 ah battery storage, a 60 amp MPPT controller and a 3000 watt inverter. It was barely enough for the smaller EV battery.
You may want to look at the many kits available that do exactly what you're looking to do for reference to see the specs on those.
I would guess a DC fast charge set up would require an entirely different and very demanding system that would be excessively expensive.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

I’ve been brainstorming a unique project and would love to get your thoughts. I’m an educator, and I’ve been considering building a solar carport at my school—not just for my personal EV charging needs but as an educational tool for students. Here’s the vision:


The carport would include solar panels, an inverter, a battery storage system, and an L2 EVSE (Level 2 charger). My daily commute is only 4-5 miles, so the energy requirements are minimal, but the learning opportunities could be huge! Students could gain hands-on experience with renewable energy systems, from installation to maintenance, as well as learn about energy monitoring and efficiency.


Technical Setup


• Solar Panels: I’m thinking of a small array. (At my wife's business we have a 26Kwh array, I'm thinking small , real small more like enough panels to cover the roof of a carport.

• Inverter: To convert the solar energy for EV charging and potentially other small uses.

• Battery Storage: For storing excess energy and allowing charging even when the sun isn’t shining, and to ensure a buffer as clouds come and go.

• L2 EVSE: For daily charging of my Mach-E and possibly future EV projects.


Educational and Community Impact

This project could help students understand the practical applications of renewable energy while inspiring the broader school community to think about energy independence and sustainability. It could also showcase how EVs can be integrated with clean energy systems.

Questions for the Forum

• Has anyone here worked on a similar project? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

• Any recommendations on panel sizes, inverter models, or battery systems for a small-scale setup like this?

• Thoughts on designing the carport for ease of maintenance and educational engagement?

• Any potential challenges I should be aware of, especially in combining solar, battery storage, and an L2 EVSE?

There looks like there is even a newer DC-DC option coming. (Seems real expensive though)

https://enteligent.com



Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions you might have!

I was not involved with this and this link is a bit old although I do recall more recent articles about it but can find them atm.

I have the email address for the head of the Hawaii State EV Association as well if you’re interested. I’m not sure just how much he knows about the specifics though.

https://hawaiiev.org/blog/solar-powered-charging-at-uhcc-hilo

 

[Anthropod]

I was not involved with this and this link is a bit old although I do recall more recent articles about it but can find them atm.

I have the email address for the head of the Hawaii State EV Association as well if you’re interested. I’m not sure just how much he knows about the specifics though.

https://hawaiiev.org/blog/solar-powered-charging-at-uhcc-hilo

Wow! That looks great.

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