Policy Drivers: Opportunities for PV Carports

In 2023, a series of supportive policies were intensively issued at both national and local levels. In January 2023, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development clearly responded that several local governments, including Beijing and Guangzhou, had introduced local subsidy policies for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and eligible projects could actively apply for them. The rapid decline in PV costs laid a necessary foundation for the large-scale development of BIPV.

In November 2023, five central departments — the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the National Energy Administration — jointly launched the fourth batch of pilot demonstration activities for smart PV. They explicitly supported the construction of a number of smart PV demonstration projects, including those that apply smart PV products and integrate next-generation information technologies such as 5G, big data, the Internet, and artificial intelligence to provide users with smart PV services. Meanwhile, some European countries introduced mandatory policies requiring large shopping malls with more than 30 parking spaces to install PV carports, further stimulating overseas market demand.

Technological Innovations: From Power Generation Only to Multi-Energy Integration

In 2023, PV carport technology achieved a leap from simple power generation to integrated heat, power, storage, and charging systems.

Digital Smart Carport: In April 2023, a digital solar carport integrating PV, energy storage, and charging was unveiled in Huangqiao Village, Maogang Town, Songjiang District, Shanghai. This carport not only converts light into electricity but also features smart energy storage, intelligent monitoring, weather warning, rainwater purification, and other intelligent functions. It generates an average of 16,000 kWh annually, equipped with a 60 kWh energy storage cabinet and six 7 kW charging guns. The carport also has off-grid capability, able to charge EVs directly using solar power.

"Tianpeng Yuanshuai" System: Developed by Shanghai Tianpeng Yuanshuai Solar Equipment Co., Ltd., this digital solar carport system made its first public appearance at the Shanghai International Carbon Neutrality Expo in June 2023. The system deeply integrates BIPV technology and PV/T (photovoltaic-thermal) technology, achieving integrated heat, electricity, storage, and charging applications. It not only meets users' needs for power generation, energy storage, and EV charging but also provides hot water, heating, lighting, rainwater harvesting, and other energy-related functions. Using PV/T technology, it recovers the heat generated during PV panel operation to combine photoelectric and photothermal applications. An 80-square-meter carport can meet the heating needs of 150 square meters.

BIPV Aesthetic Innovation: In July 2023, JinkoSolar used its N-type TOPCon technology to create a PV carport with a Tiffany-blue Chinese character "福" (fortune) logo for the Shenzhen Futian District Party and Government Complex. The BIPV curtain wall series with N-type TOPCon technology ensures high power generation while offering rich colors and modern architectural aesthetics, combining aesthetics, performance, and economy. This project generates approximately 1,400 kWh per day, with an estimated annual output of 520,000 kWh.

Lightweight Prefabricated Technology: In December 2023, a patent for "a lightweight prefabricated PV carport" filed by Zunhua Thermal Power Co., Ltd. was granted by the China National Intellectual Property Administration. The project uses a combination of "non-metallic carport frame + flexible PV modules + charging piles," a national first. It includes 132 PV carport parking spaces and can simultaneously charge 10 household new energy vehicles and one commuter vehicle.

Major Projects Across the Country

In 2023, a number of representative PV carport projects were completed and put into operation across China.

Zhuhai's Largest Carport Distributed PV Project: In April 2023, the "PV-Storage-Charging Integrated Carbon Reduction Demonstration Project" jointly built by COOEC-Fluor and China Southern Power Grid Integrated Energy (Zhuhai) Co., Ltd. began full construction. It is the largest carport distributed PV project in Zhuhai. The carport covers an area of 19,000 square meters, accommodates 890 vehicles, and uses a BIPV structure with PV panels replacing the traditional carport roof. In July 2023, Phase I of the project was connected to the grid and put into operation, generating an average of 6.45 million kWh annually, reducing CO2 emissions by 5,036 tons per year, accounting for 16% of COOEC-Fluor's electricity consumption.

Guangxi's Largest PV Carport Project: In July 2023, the Guangdong Energy Liuzhou Liuqi distributed PV power generation project achieved full-capacity grid connection, with a total installed capacity of 49.77 MW. It is currently the largest PV carport project in Guangxi in terms of footprint. The project fully utilizes employee parking lots, standard factory rooftops, and finished vehicle parking lot rooftops at Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor's production base. It generates an average of approximately 46.99 million kWh annually, saving about 14,130 tons of standard coal and reducing CO2 emissions by 38,720 tons per year.

Expressway Scenario Application: In May 2023, the Jinxiang section of the Zaohe-Jining Expressway, China's first full-road-domain transportation-energy integration project, was connected to the grid and generated power. Facilities including PV carports, vertical-axis wind turbines, and rooftop PV, through a light-storage-direct-flexible integrated system, achieved 100% green power supply and "electricity-neutral" operation for the service area. During the trial phase alone, it saved tens of thousands of yuan in electricity costs.

Fengxian District's First Solar Low-Carbon Smart Carport: In February 2023, Yuxiu Community No. 1 in Fengxian District, Shanghai, built its first solar low-carbon multifunctional smart carport. The carport is 12 meters long, has 20 charging ports, uses PV power generation to convert solar energy into green electricity directly for the charging piles inside, and is equipped with 24/7 visual surveillance and suspended fire extinguishers.

Market Trends: An Emerging Blue Ocean

From a global perspective, the solar PV carport market size steadily expanded in 2023. According to multiple market research institutions, the global solar PV carport market size in 2023 was approximately between US$810 million and US$1.115 billion. By region, North America led with about 35% share, Europe accounted for 30%, and the Asia-Pacific region 25%. The European commercial solar carport market was valued at US$566.5 million in 2023. Key growth drivers include: the demand for charging infrastructure driven by the proliferation of new energy vehicles, government policy incentives for renewable energy, and enterprises' intrinsic demand for green transformation.

In the Chinese market, solar carport applications are concentrated in regions such as Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Beijing, with main scenarios including urban parking lots, industrial parks, commercial districts, expressway service areas, and rural revitalization projects. Industry experts expect that cross-sector integration between PV generation and traditional businesses will become increasingly significant. The integration of transportation and energy networks is an innovative model and new format for building new energy infrastructure, with broad development prospects in green highways, green ports, green rail transit, and other fields.