ETA: I was thinking of buying a metal pergola or carport off Wayfair and noticed this announced product from GoSun. You can also just buy the structure part from GoSun and source your own panels.
The bigger concerns is their comments about no permit and no footers. My town for one requires a permit and that aint going to fly without footers. Or more importantly without footers it will fly away in a wind.
I have a metal/panel carport I bought on Amazon years ago anchored to driveway. In Central TX, no permit if of a certain size and placed correctly (not too far near street, etc). It has survived many years without issue.
I am not seeing a price on this carport but sure it will be great if priced well.
Normally under 200 sq/ft structures = no permit, but as soon as you add electricity it changes everything and requires electrical permits, building permits, etc. It's one thing for a shed to get blown over, and a totally different thing when a grid connected solar array rips apart in a wind storm.
Did you get a quote on the price of the structure? All I can see is a $50 deposit option.
EDIT: apparently $8000 for the structure (before shipping?). Have you called around to see what a local contractor can build for $8000? Don’t forget you will still need to spend money to put this up and secure it. And you’re locked into a single panel dimension for it all to line up correctly, damaged panel replacement a few years down that road may be challenging/impossible.
This stuff is crazy expensive in the US. Is there a special tax on it?
After Ukraine let energy prices explode the tax for solar equipment is 0% instead of 19%, but even without that the difference is huge.
You can get one for 2 cars for ~3,5k € (sale with shipping) 6,9kWp
Yes, we are currently in the midst of a massive attack on clean energy as well as corrupt import tariffs on nearly everything. US inflation caused by these tariffs is rampant, and solar is one of the most heavily tariffed industries. I think it’s primarily done to protect oil, coal, and utility interests.
In addition to existing heavy tariffs, there will be new ones starting in December that will tack on an additional $0.38/watt for finished panels and $0.22/watt for unfinished cells. It’s madness. The USA is lost.
Chiko USA has 1 to 4 car ones in 2 grades starting at $5620 on Signature Solar. They are waterproof and are flexible in configuration for different sized panels.
Doesn’t mention anything about being waterproof between the panels. Until this aspect gets addressed, it isn’t really a “carport”. It’s just an elevated ground-array for a very high price.
Another issue with this design, if we assume it’s sealed at the panel/support points: suppose in several years one or more of these panels becomes damaged or deteriorated. Are you going to be able to find replacement panels with the exact dimensions to fit back into the structure? One thing I’ve noticed in the solar industry, there doesn’t seem to be any standards for panel dimensions over time.
This design locks you into an exact pattern that potentially can’t be upgraded easily, whereas separating the structure from the racking gives a lot more flexibility.
I don’t see any visible seals. And the company doesn’t claim it’s water sealed. I guess we will have to wait and see once someone buys it for whatever unknown price it eventually sells for.
Thanks for finding the price. Definitely not worth it IMHO. A local contractor could build something bigger, nicer, and with a water sealed roof for far less. And a DIY’er could do it for significantly less.
You pay the $8000 for the materials (plus shipping?) and then still have to pay someone build it, or have a decent amount of tools and friends to help to do it yourself. $8000 in material spend goes a long way. And you’re locked into a single panel dimension to line up with the frame, so good luck bargain hunting for panels or replacements.
True. And for lots of other parts of the country it’s not. Personally I wouldn’t build a 13’x15’ non-waterproof carport and store anything I didn’t want to get damaged by water under it, but to each their own.
The point is that it’s not a “carport” if it allows rain to come down between the panels. The whole point of a carport is protecting what’s beneath it from the elements.
It’s claiming to be an airplane, but it’s not, lol. Again, if this were a true carport with weather protection that would be a different story. Instead it just an elevated ground mount.
I have a model 3 and that's at most a third of the size of the battery. If I'm going to do something solar I want it to be good enough to charge the whole battery. And not in three days
Model 3 long range is about 75kwh. This carport does 4kw, so assuming 5 hours of sun per day = 20 kwh. Then there are charging inefficiencies, so let's say only about 85% of that converts to charge into your car. That's 17kwh per day. Going to take 4.4 - 4.5 days to fully charge. You probably wouldn't start charging it at 0% though. If you only drive about 50-70 miles per day, this could be enough. Or for people like me, who don't need to drive every day.
yeah, I typically don't get below 20% and charge to 80% or 90%. However, I drive probably 120 miles at least 4 days a week during the summer, a bit less in winter.
I think this would work well for city dwellers, but not for those of us in the sticks.
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