It was an honour to be a part of The Fifth Estate's latest article that focused on the viability of commercial solar in Australia based on businesses' attitudes toward solar and its long-term profitability - especially with solar car parks on the rise.

Here is an excerpt:

A new smart car park product the company is rolling out is also one he says councils can gain benefit from.

“With a car park, it’s normally just a sunk cost and the council is simply providing amenities. The solar car shade generates a huge amount of energy and provides a covered and shaded area for the cars. Because it can be done as PAYG, the [potential] capital cost becomes an operational one.

“A solar car park costs only 10 per cent more than a traditional car park to install, and it can generate between $30,000 and $50,000 a year [in sold power].”

The key is the right site, one where there is an adjacent building with a substantial energy load that can use the power throughout the day.

One of the installations that have been carried out for the private sector is at Macadamia Castle in Northern NSW, where the smart car park provides shade for 22 car spaces and delivers a substantial part of the electricity needed by the tourist attraction during the day.

The current products are imported, but the firm is in the final stages of designing its own version, which will be a single-span 11.5-metre solar car shade. Hoogesteger is hoping the firm will be able to work with Tesla on the rollout of charging stations, with the car shades providing the energy for the Tesla charging points.

Access the full article here