Envision’s Solar Tree array design comprises solar panels which can be integrated into real estate infrastructure, for example used as a shading canopy in a car park, or for use alongside electric vehicle charging points, as well as providing electricity for nearby buildings.

The new purlin structure, which is part of Envisions’s so-called “Drag and Drop” modular infrastructure, offers faster, more efficient deployment of the Solar Tree array product, Envision said.

"Drag & Drop Infrastructure allows us to get in and out of customer premises with the least amount of disruption,” said Envision Solar's chief executive Desmond Wheatley. “Our customers don't want their parking lots dug up for weeks at a time.”

He added: “We have just completed a Solar Tree array installation, in a highly complex environment, in four and half days. Our customers get the value of the Solar Tree structures right away and the speed of deployment helps them get the tax incentives faster too."

The first of these structures were deployed in Colorado and California for separate customers. Because the sections are fabricated off-site, the pre-engineered purlin sections arrive at the customer site as part of a complete kit which includes everything that is needed for installation.

Further information

Innovation in the installation of PV systems has been a key part of the PV industry's drive to cut costs over the past few years. Companies like Westinghouse Solar (which recently merged with CBD Energy) pioneered the concept of integrating the racking, wiring and grounding directly into the solar panel.