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August 11, 2025Integrating EV Charging Into Solar Canopies – A Smarter Way to Build
By: Guy Chilvers and Jamie Delargy
Published: 3rd August 2025
As more businesses and local authorities look to combine solar generation with electric vehicle charging, one challenge keeps coming up – how to integrate EV chargers into a site without adding unnecessary cost, disruption or visual clutter.
At SIG Building Solutions, we’ve developed a solution to that challenge. Our latest solar canopy designs now include full EV charger integration, allowing charge points to be mounted directly onto the canopy structure itself. It’s a more efficient way to deliver both solar energy and charging infrastructure in one build, without the usual headaches that come with groundworks.
Traditional EV Charger Installation Challenges
Traditionally, installing EV chargers in a car park meant significant additional work. Trenching across tarmac, setting concrete plinths, running ducting, and installing standalone charger posts could all add cost, complexity and time to a project. In many cases, the civil engineering side of EV installation ends up being more disruptive than the actual charger install.
A Smarter Integrated Approach
How it works
By integrating the charging point into the canopy structure, we remove the need for separate foundations and reduce ground-level obstructions. Power is routed internally through the canopy frame, with the charger mounted securely and accessibly on the supporting steelwork.
Benefits at a glance
- Cleaner, less cluttered car parks
- Less trenching and civil works
- Faster installation and handover
- Lower project risk and fewer contractors
Futureproofing for Later EV Rollout
Where clients wish to install solar first and add EV later, our beam-integrated solution means the structure is already ready to receive the charger. Upgrades can be completed with minimal intervention and without re-visiting groundworks.
- Phase investment to suit budgets
- Reduce return visits and disruption
- Avoid overbuilding at the outset
- Accelerate delivery on live projects
Multi-Functional Infrastructure for Net-Zero Goals
This kind of integration is increasingly important as more clients look for multi-functional infrastructure. Whether it’s a commercial car park, a council depot or a public estate with net-zero targets, combining solar generation and EV support in a single structural system makes practical sense.
Faster, Simpler, More Cost-Effective Delivery
Every site is different, but the principle remains the same: the simpler the system, the faster and more cost-effective it is to deliver. Our EV beam integration approach reflects that thinking and helps clients move from idea to installation with less disruption, less civil work, and less risk.
💡 To learn more about Solar Canopy Structures, click here.
✉️ Alternatively get in touch with the team today.
