In the world of tomorrow, sustainability shouldn’t just be limited to the ‘green’ technology driven devices; every element from structures to vehicles should be imbibed with that same manner of energy efficiency, so that we can collectively progress into an extraordinarily sustainable era. Now, there have been concepts that do clearly allude to such a direction, and solar-powered parking lots have been one of them. Industrial designers have contrived of such conceptions that not only recharge with clean energy but also generate electricity for lighting purpose. So here is a list of the 10 amazing energy generating parking concepts for electric cars that we should all take a peek at.
Park Green parking lot features optimally inclined solar panels:
Abast Energia, a Spanish engineering firm has come up with this adroit design in form of a parking lot with solar paneled roofs mounted optimally at an angle of 15 degrees. Named as ParkGreen, the station can generate a power of 3.33 kW of solar energy for two parked electric vehicles. Moreover, the sturdy, anti-corrosion parking lot features an air chamber for natural ventilation and cooling, along with LEDs to go with its conspicuousness.
Solar Parking Garages:
Envision Solar of California has come with an ingenious solution for integrating solar panels on the roofs of parking structures. The resultant electricity can then be transferred to an adjacent building, fed into the power grid, or be used to charge electric cars in the parking lot. The only downside to this arrangement can be the high cost of the solar panels itself.
A parking lot with solar powered electric charging station in Tennessee:
The first EV charging station in south eastern U.S., the $180,000 parking lot integrates a 20kW solar array on its roof. A plug-in hybrid or an all-electric car can be easily connected to the charger, while the customer waits. Funded by the state, this convenient conception has in a way inspired other installations to crop up in the vicinity, in places like Nashville and Chattanooga.
Solar Forest Concept by Neville Mars:
A wondrous concept from Neville Mars, Solar Forest acts as a confluence of solar powered parking lots and visually appealing urban landscape. Composed of ‘trees’ with photovoltaic leaves, the ‘trunk’ portion will consist of power outlets for charging. And aside from powering up vehicles, this fascinating design could also provide shades.
Eco Garage Automatic Parking for Chicago:
Though not strictly an energy generating parking concept, this ambitious proposal surely calls for energy efficiency. The Green Park Eco Garage is basically a robotic scheme for parking around 100 cars, but using an effectual space management system where cars can be stacked upon multilevel platforms, which allows for 20 cars to occupy a same area as 4 would have done in normal parking conditions.
Solar Parking Lot Structure at Dell Head-Quarters:
In collaboration with McBride Electric Inc., Envision Solar and BP Solar, Dell has unveiled their solar powered parking lot in 2009. Already known as being one of the major companies to patronize sustainability, this was certainly another ‘green’ step ahead.
Romag introduces PowerPark solar carport:
A company called Romag Holdings has launched their own version of energy generatingcarports in Britain. Utilizing laminated photovoltaic panels, each unit is touted to have a peak output of 150 kilowatts. Moreover, when no vehicles are plugged, the extra power is fed back into the grid. Indeed, a true ‘conservation of energy’!
Nejur Andrei’s solar parking juices up electric cars wirelessly:
Uniquely different from other solar parking lots, Romanian designer Nejur Andrei has contrived of a proposition where there could be wireless transmission of charge from an above solar canopy to the charging coil embedded in the asphalt, and from there to the car battery. Using an automatic system, the underground battery pack transmits this charge on to the multiple charging coils just below the parked car, and from there a receiving coil situated under the car draws up that charge. Once the car’s battery is full, the sensors inside the asphalt can stop the charging process.
Solar parking lot that uses your car’s windshield as a heliostat:
Conceptualized by designers Klaud Wasiak and Yongbang Ho, this is the Solasis Light Tower – an energy generating parking lot with an exceptional difference in mechanism. The lot will integrate a solar power concentrating tower that uses the windshields and hoods of cars as sun tracking and concentrating mirrors. The extra power after recharging of the car will be given back to the main grid.
Electric car parking tower that powers cars with solar and wind energy:
At the end we have come across another delightful conception, and this time it is from designer Roberto Dei Lidi. Named as the Smart Tower, the design will feature a wholly automated system where it can lift and rotate cars, leaving the space underneath for other purposes. But, the most important thing about the design is that it will utilize both solar panels and a vertical wind turbine for clean energy generation.
