GE recently unveiled its EV Solar Carport Project at a ceremony in Plainville, Conn., attended by Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy and Luis Ramírez, CEO of GE Energy Industrial Solutions. GE Energy Industrial Solutions combined forces with Inovateus Solar LLC, a national solar power distributor and integrator, to install the carport. The companies use solar energy and smart grid technology to fully charge up to 13 electric vehicles per day via six Level 2 GE EV charging stations and to power the overhead lighting in the parking lot. With greater than a 25-year lifespan, The EV Solar Carport is expected to last more than 25 years and will annually deliver 125 MW hours via 100 kW DC power. The carport produces the energy equivalent to power 20 homes per year. The average freestanding home uses approximately 7,000 to 10,000 kW hours per year.
“We see anywhere you park your electric vehicle as a great opportunity for charging infrastructure,” says Ramírez. “Consumers want the convenience and peace of mind knowing they can get from point A to point B without running out of energy,” adds Ramírez. “GE is working with a number of utilities and municipalities, in the U.S. and abroad, to address this issue of creating a widely distributed network of electric vehicle charging stations. The presence of ubiquitous, Level 2 charging will make consumers far less worried about their car running out of power.”