If you plan on purchasing an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid, why not make sure you can power it with clean solar energy rather than dirty grid power?

Two studies by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found that plug-in hybrids and electric cars might worsen soot, mercury, CO2 and SO2 emissions in regions that rely on coal for most of their electricity. [Check out USA Today]

But companies are working to provide renewable solutions.

Envision Solar, based in La Jolla, California, has developed solar-integrated structures to allow customers to cleanly power their cars, homes and businesses.

Envision’s products range from the Solar Grove--which shades parking lots with photovoltaic panels--to the LifePort and LifePod solar modular buildings.


The LifePod, unveiled in February at Global Green USA’s Hollywood Pre-Oscar Party, is a 10’ x 12’ structure that’s perfect for housing a small car, household items, a small office, a cabana, or pool and gardening supplies.

The roof solar panels are 1.7 kW and produce more than 7 kW-hours per day, about 60 percent of a typical Southern California home’s electricity needs.

The larger LifePort is 23’ square and works well as a two-car garage.

LifePort can accommodate up to 32 solar panels that produce 6.4 kW, enough to power the average house and charge an electric vehicle. A 24-panel system, producing 4.8 kW, should satisfy the needs of a homeowner in San Diego (spending $120 per month on electricity). The 12-panel system produces 2.4 kW.

One major advantage of the LifePort and LifePod is how easy they are to put together. The LifePod can be assembled in just a few hours, according to Envision Solar. Both structures come with detailed video instructions for nonprofessionals.

Plus, none of the recycled metal parts (that can be recycled again) weighs more than 75 pounds. The LifePod is small enough that it’s unlikely to require a building permit. (It’s recommended that an electrician connect the system to the utility meter, though.)

Off-Grid

The buildings are especially useful in remote areas without utility coverage.

“The [U.S.] government is interested in securing many LifePorts and LifePods for different applications: quick-deployment buildings, off-grid solar needs,” said Robert Noble, CEO of Envision Solar. “When they need to have electricity and power and they don’t have accessible utilities then a LifePort or a LifePod is perfect.“

Envision is working with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is in talks with the military and relief agencies.

The first LifePort was actually built during last year’s Burning Man festival in the desolate Nevada desert.


Another advantage of the structures is the steel frame, photovoltaic modules and electrical components are sold as a package.

The complete LifePod (with a door and two windows) costs about $10,000-$12,000, including professional installation. The 4.8 kW LifePort system costs $45,199 “do-it-yourself,” while installation is $7,000 more.

Envision emphasizes that the return on the initial investment usually comes in just six months to a year.

The LifePort is eligible for a $2,000 federal rebate and $8,800 to $10,100 from the California Solar Initiative. (For information on rebates from your state, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.)

The carport will likely increase your property’s value $25,020 to $49,762 because of the energy savings, plus $25,000 or more for the structure alone. (The boost to property values is generally 20 times the annual electricity savings, Envision estimates.)

But SolarCity, a California company that produces an open-air carport with a 1.2 kW capacity (slightly smaller than the LifePod), sees the limits of the compact structures.

“The reality is most of our customers would benefit most from putting the photovoltaic system on the roof of their house or the roof of their garage,” Ben Tarbell, SolarCity’s director of products, told AutoblogGreen. “It will be cheaper for them and in many cases it enables them to charge the system for less money.”

The real value of the carport is for people whose home roof is shaded for much of the day (i.e. doesn’t face south) or who like the cache of visibly powering their vehicle with clean energy, Tarbell said.

Envision Solar counters that photovoltaic systems on a conventional house present potential problems because the installation can damage the roof. Also, many roofs will start to deteriorate before the solar systems, which have a 20-year warranty.

Over the course of 25 years, the LifePort saves 142 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, which equates to 284,000 vehicle miles.

SolarCity has partnered with Tesla to sell the car and carport together, although the structure can be purchased separately and used with any plug-in vehicle. (Elon Musk is chairman of both companies.)

SolarCity’s product will likely run for $8,000-$10,000 and provide enough power to the Tesla Roadster for 20 miles of driving.

Solar Grove

Envision’s goal for the Solar Grove has been “transforming parking lots into power plants, beautifully.” The Solar Grove is made up of “solar trees.” Each tree has a “canopy” composed of the frame and solar panels. The base serves as the “trunk.”

[Photo credit: Hal's Public Gallery]

The 64 solar panels on each “tree” are translucent, allowing dappled light to show through while still shading the cars and asphalt from solar heat gain.

The first-generation Kyocera Solar Grove features trees that cover six cars with a canopy that measures 30’ x 40’.

In its first year, each tree produced more than 17,000 kW-hours of electricity, enough to power three average San Diego homes. The canopy can be tilted toward the sun to maximize energy collection.

The impressive Kyocera Grove, which has 1,400 photovoltaic modules and a total system size of 235 kW, prevents 338,905 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere annually.

Next Steps

The next-generation Solar Grove will be bigger: each tree will shade eight cars and produce about 30,000 kW-hours per year.

In fact, Envision developed the LifePort and LifePod after customers asked if they could put a solar tree at home in their driveway.

The LifePort, introduced in December 2007, generated about $4.5 million in sales just in the first month, CEO Robert Noble said. Envision hopes the LifePod will have similar success.

Currently, the LifePod is only available from Envision, but the company hopes to soon sell its structures through general contractors and designers and eventually at retail stores.

This fall, Envision Solar plans on introducing a LifePod that’s less expensive and even easier to assemble, according to Pamela Stevens, executive vice president for Envision’s commercial development group.