Lithuanian solar PV manufacturer Solitek, a unit of Global BOD, has unveiled a PV carport product line conceived for single-family homes as well as for commercial and industrial sites.
The system features glass-glass frameless modules with a load-bearing structure delivered with all fasteners required, and a choice of inverters from established manufacturers such as Fronius and Huawei.
The smallest model of the series is a one-car version with a capacity of 4.44 kW, with a construction weight and site being 800 kg and 5,294 mm x 4,370 mm, respectively. A two-berth version has an output of 5.55 kW, measures 5,286 mm x 5,445 mm and has a construction weight of 1,100 kg.
“We have been developing the carport solution for several years. It took time to get all the certifications for safety and durability,” Ramūnas Grudis, Head of Sales, Solitek, told pv magazine, noting that it was necessary to qualify the solar panel-based carport roof as overhead glazing material with the Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt).
The carports feature Solitek’s bifacial B.60 glass-glass modules, with 370 W front-side power. The frameless 60-cell panels are made in Lithuania and use PERC cells with a size of 166 mm x 166 mm supplied by an unspecified Taiwanese manufacturer. They also utilize 3mm thick safety glass on both sides. “This is an extraordinarily strong combination,” said Grudis, noting the modules passed 40 mm hail tests.
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The modules have an A-class fire safety classification and come with a 30-year linear power output guarantee. The 30-year end power output is guaranteed to be no less than 87.% of the nominal output power.
The carport unit can be designed to withstand a snow load of up to 2.5 kN/m2 and 27m/s of wind loads. Grudis explained that the number of car bays and materials are configurable, in addition to PV-covered terraces, with the same high degree of system integration. The carports can be currently shipped across Europe and are sold via the company’s distributor partners or directly.
Solitek belongs to Global BOD, which also owns ophthalmic lens manufacturing company Bod Lenses. It recently announced plans to build a 600 MW module plant in Benevento, Italy in addition to its 250 MW plant in Lithuania.
This article was amended on 4/12/2023 to note that Solitek is a direct holding of Global BOD, which also owns Bod Lenses, and the factory size in the final paragraph was corrected to 250 MW.
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I sure.hope these solar carports are coming to the US.
Too bad there’s no one to interconnect it in the US. No installer with a 1-to-1 sales model will offer or install a package like this. And that’s pretty much all of them.