Rooftop solar statistic of the day

A plug-in hybrid Prius is parked under the solar-powered plug-in station at the Orlando Utilities Commission building in Orlando, Fla.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The City of Orlando has entered into a partnership with Renault -Nissan to make the city EV-friendly by installing a network of public and private charging stations – including a solar-powered one.

The solar-powered charging station -- Orlando’s first -- gets its electricity from an array of 16 photovoltaic panels that generate up to 2.8 kilowatts of electricity. It is being used to charge plug-in hybrid vehicles in the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) fleet.

Suffolk County New York is looking to put up 50 megawatts of solar power, much of it on top of solar carports.

SOURCE: WPIX.Com

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. - Long Island could soon be getting series of giant solar carports which would pump out 50 megawatts of electricity per year, WPIX.Com is reporting.

According to WPIX, Suffolk County is encouraging a project that would turn parking lots into solar power lots. Under the proposal, Suffolk would build solar panel carports at seven of its largest parking areas.

According to installer Alpha Energy, this one megawatt solar carport in New Jersey - the size of three football fields - is the largest of its kind in the U.S.

Ok, so you can't plug EVs or PHEVs directly into it -- but it's impressive nonethless. It's also a good indication of the growing link between solar and automobiles. Finally, its presence is likely to increase public awareness about the synergy between solar and (electric) cars.

We're talking about a gigantic one megawatt elevated solar PV carport completed this week by Alpha Energy for the Manheim New Jersey National Auto Dealers Exchange (NADE) auction facility in Borderntown, New Jersey.

A graphic artist's rendition of a solar-charged plug-in station with a Toyota Prius PHV plugged in to it.

Looks like Toyota is seeing the future of auto fueling -- and it's sun, sun, and more sun!

The automotive giant is working with a Japanese city to build a network of solar-charged plug-in stations to help power a fleet of Prius PHVs, reports TechOn.Com, an Asian Technology Analysis web site.