Employees at GE Industrial Solutions are among the company’s power elite: Since May, the facility where they work in Fairfield, Connecticut, has offered six Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations –powered by on-site solar generation and linked to the grid. 

The 216-foot by 40-foot GE EV Solar Carport can fully charge up to 13 EVs per day, and will deliver 125 MW hours via 100 kW DC power – enough to electrify 20 homes per year. The solar panels on the carport roof also will power all the lighting in the parking lot, to offset an additional $10,000 in energy costs annually.

The charging station was deployed in cooperation with South Bend, Illinois-based Inovateus Solar LLC, a national solar power distributor and integrator.  It incorporates GE’s infrastructure technology, using both GE EverGold Safety Switches and GE Combiner Boxes along with Level 2 GE EV Charging Stations. GE’s core AC equipment safely distributes the power generated from the solar panels. The GE EV Solar Carport connects to the grid, where it deposits extra energy and withdraws that energy when needed.

“The GE EV Solar Carport Project is an opportunity to deliver a truly sustainable electric vehicle charging solution,” says Paul Singer, general manager of Industrial Technology at GE Energy Industrial Solutions. “Joining forces with Inovateus Solar on the EV Solar Carport helped us deliver one of the largest carports in North America, and we were glad to have both their insight and their dedicated staff on hand throughout the construction process.”

“Our objective with this project is to utilize a mix of installation formats to create a practical on-site ‘lab’ to illustrate a range of design options when creating this type of solar system,” says TJ Kanczuzewski, president of Inovateus Solar LLC. “We are excited to collaborate with GE on this important alternative energy development and education project and look forward to other future projects.”

Key Inovateus supplier/partners included Schott Solar for the PV panels and Satcon for the two 100 kW inverters. Inovateus subcontracted the electrical work to Power Systems Electrical Contractors in Farmington, Connecticut.

As the general contractor, Inovateus hired Solaire Generation of New York to install a custom version of its Premium Solar Parking Power Plant. The cantilevered roof design protects vehicles and people from the elements while preventing unwanted access to PV panels and electrical systems – including six charging stations. The canopy design also captures and redirects rainwater and snowmelt with its unique decking, gutter and drain system.

“We see anywhere you park your electric vehicle as a great opportunity for charging infrastructure,” said Luis Ramírez, CEO of GE Energy Industrial Solutions. “Now we also lead the future of electrification for electric vehicles with supplied power from the sun. The GE EV Solar Carport provides clean energy alternatives to oil and biofuels, expands our ability to capture the sun’s energy and helps us deliver a viable EV ecosystem.”

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