San Diego Gas & Electric Unveils its Solar Carport

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) unveiled a solar carport that is capable of charging six electric vehicles at once at the County Administration Center.

The carport, topped with photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight into electricity, will provide free charging to electric vehicles (EVs) at the County Administration complex near downtown San Diego. SDG&E will charge the county $100 a month for the electricity and will give them the option of purchasing the carport after the year-long research and demonstration project.

The carport will generate five kilowatts of electricity, which will be fed into SDG&E's electrical system when the power is not being used to charge EVs. The carport, which is capable of charging six electric vehicles at once, is designed to provide SDG&E with data on the applicability of solar power to charge electric vehicles in the San Diego area.

San Diego Gas & Electric is a public utility that provides service to 3 million consumers through 1.2 million electric meters and 720,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and Southern Orange counties. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, a Fortune 500 energy-services holding company based in San Diego.