Solar Car Ports for Welsh Homes & Businesses
Turn your driveway or staff car park into a power station. Welsh Solar designs and installs bespoke solar car ports that shelter vehicles, generate electricity and charge EVs all at the same time.
Domestic single-bay through to 50-bay commercial canopies. Built in Wales, signed off by Welsh structural engineers.
Why install a solar car port?
Roof space is finite and not every Welsh property has a south-facing pitch. A solar car port is the perfect answer: it uses otherwise unproductive land, doubles as weather protection for your vehicle and outputs 4-8kW of clean electricity per single bay.
For commercial sites, the maths is even better. A 20-bay car port can produce well over 100,000 kWh per year – enough to power an office, charge a fleet of vans and still export surplus to the grid. Many of our customers see a payback inside seven years even before accounting for the EV charging revenue they collect from staff and visitors.
Our car ports are designed and built specifically for the Welsh climate: galvanised steel posts, aluminium glide rails, marine-grade fixings and a wind-load rating to BS EN 1991-1-4 covering the most exposed coastal and mountain sites.
Single-bay through to multi-storey
Every car port we build is designed around the customer. We start with a free site visit, a topographic survey and a structural assessment. From there our designers will produce a 3D render so you can see exactly what the finished product will look like before any concrete is poured.
Standard bays measure 5m x 2.7m and accommodate one car comfortably. Double, triple and longer-run canopies are popular for businesses. For housing developers and large landowners we also offer cantilever and butterfly designs that maximise generation per square metre.
- All-weather aluminium and galvanised steel construction
- Tier-1 mono-PERC panels (Trina, JA Solar, JinKO)
- Optional EV charging built into each bay
- Integrated rainwater channelling and LED bay lighting
- DNO G99 application, foundations and groundworks all included
Domestic car ports
For Welsh homeowners we have a popular range of single and double bay car ports starting from around £14,000 fully installed. Combined with a 7.4kW EV charger and a 10kWh battery you can self-power your home and car for most of the year.
Most domestic car ports are permitted development as long as they sit within prescribed size limits and are not at the front of the property. We will handle any planning queries for you at no extra cost.
Commercial canopies
Welsh Solar has delivered car port projects for car dealerships, supermarkets, holiday parks and NHS sites across South and Mid Wales. Every commercial project comes with full structural engineer sign-off, CDM compliance and a 25-year performance warranty on the panels.
If you are considering a car port for your business, ask us about the additional revenue streams available: EV pay-and-charge networks, fleet leasing income and renewable energy guarantees of origin (REGOs).
Welsh climate considerations for car ports
Wales is one of the wettest, windiest parts of the UK. Coastal towns like Aberystwyth and Tenby see annual rainfall of 1,200mm+ and gusts above 80mph are not unusual. Every car port we build is designed to handle these conditions. Foundations are concrete pads with M20 anchor bolts; uprights are galvanised steel; rails are aluminium and all fixings are stainless A2 marine grade.
We finish every commercial canopy with integrated rainwater channels feeding to attenuation crates or surface drainage. Domestic car ports are typically guttered to a downpipe and rainwater butt – ideal for collecting Welsh weather and watering the garden for free.
Combining car ports with EV charging
Almost 70% of the car ports we install include EV charging. The pairing makes perfect sense: a car parked under solar can charge directly from the panels above, with no additional grid load. For commercial sites we recommend a mix of 7kW and 22kW units, with optional pay-and-charge for staff or visitors.
Our designers will model your expected EV fleet over the next ten years and recommend the right ratio of chargers to bays. We can also pre-duct empty bays for future installation – the cheapest way to expand is to plan it in from day one.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a solar car port cost?
Domestic single-bay car ports start at around £14,000 installed. Commercial canopies are usually quoted per bay – typically £6,500-£8,500 ex VAT depending on specification.
Do I need planning permission?
Most domestic car ports under 30m² are permitted development. Commercial canopies often require planning – we handle the entire application for you.
Will it generate as much as roof panels?
Yes – panels on a car port are typically tilted at the optimum angle for Wales (35°) and unshaded, so generation per kWp is usually higher than a roof installation.
Can I add EV chargers later?
Absolutely. We pre-duct every car port we build so chargers can be added in future without trenching.
How long does it take to build?
A single-bay domestic car port takes 2-3 days on site. Larger commercial projects vary from 2-12 weeks depending on size and ground conditions.