Advanced Roofing Inc. of Florida has installed a demonstration project with a solar carport, electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and rooftop solar arrays at its Fort Lauderdale headquarters to showcase the company’s latest innovations. The solar showcase, now in full operation, includes a new rooftop solar array and a 16-space custom solar carport with solar-powered EV charging equipment. Advanced Roofing shares the 7-acre campus with its sister companies Advanced Air System and Advanced Green Technologies (AGT).

The solar carport demonstration project has 84-kW power capacity, producing over 124,000 kWh of energy per year. The new carport and rooftop solar arrays add to two existing arrays at the headquarters site, which together produce an additional 100 kW.

“With all these solar solutions in place, we’re producing 100% of our main office’s energy needs, and that’s a doable goal for so many businesses that own their office and industrial locations,” said Rob Kornahrens, CEO of Advanced Roofing and AGT. He noted solar carport prices have dropped about 50% in the last five years through new technology and the company’s customized solutions and designs.

As electric vehicle popularity grows, Advanced Roofing is also positioned to expand its role in the EV charge station market with a partnership with national EV charging industry leader ChargePoint. Already benefiting from electric vehicles’ energy savings, Advanced Roofing has added a Tesla Model S, a Tesla Model X and a Chevy Volt to its fleet.

With solar carport installations rising steadily nationwide since 2010, “many smaller companies that lack the rooftop space for a solar array are finding solar carports very practical,” Kornahrens said. “Business owners with a deep commitment to sustainability are increasing solar carport demand here and statewide, taking advantage of the current economic and tax policy window. It’s a welcome benefit for their employees, whose cars stay cooler and protected from sunlight, and who enjoy the security of lighting systems installed under a carport’s solar panels.”

Built with two different panel technologies, the new carport at Advanced Roofing features bifacial 325-W panels. The other half of the carport has 350-W high efficiency monocrystalline panels. A rain deck installed below the 350-W modules will provide weather protection for parking and company events.

These days Kornahrens, a longtime leader in Florida’s construction and solar industries, enjoys the convenience of plugging his Tesla into the new carport’s electric vehicle charger. “It’s great to see solar become a major part of more companies’ commitment to sustainability–and to their employees,” he said.