EV Solar Carport Opens in Conn.

PLAINVILLE, CT - Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy and GE executives unveiled the GE Electric Vehicle (EV) Solar Carport in Plainville, Conn., on May 26. The facility uses GE’s new smart EV charging stations.

“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.”

“This is innovative technology and it’s right in our backyard,” added Malloy. “This exciting project will be a blueprint for people all around the country who are interested in developing this type of green solar charging technology, linking renewable energy with

With greater than a 25-year lifespan, the EV Solar Carport will annually deliver 125 MW hours via 100 kW DC power.

“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,” Ramírez said. “The presence of ubiquitous Level 2 charging will make consumers far less worried about their car running out of power.”

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.

“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 a solar system,” explained T.J. Kanczuzewski, executive vice 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.”

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.