Comparing Our Solar Canopies: Finding the Best Product for Each Project’s Needs
Brooklyn Solar Canopy Co. specializes in providing a wide range of durable, functional, and aesthetic solar canopy solutions for every project’s needs.
When browsing our solar canopy product categories, you’ll find a variety of canopy designs, from Cantilever and A-frame to Post-Truss and Wood-Post. Each of these solar canopies has its own distinct properties, advantages, and project requirements.
As an installer or a customer, it’s important to understand these benefits and requirements before you make your choice. Doing so will ensure you select the best product for your project and site. This is especially true when seeking products for commercial applications or residential installations. Sites that experience pressures from snow, wind, and seismic activity may also need specific canopy designs. Choosing the right canopy for these situations will ensure your solar carport remains structurally stable and performs optimally in your site’s specific conditions.
This guide compares all our solar canopy designs and their benefits, functions, and ideal applications. These comparisons will give you the information you need to select the perfect solar pergola for your next project.
Cantilever Solar Canopies
Our Cantilever solar carport product range is designed to be fully customizable. Each canopy is pre-engineered, modular, lightweight, and simple to construct. These features provide installers and clients with a complete solution to their solar needs.
Cantilever solar canopies are optimal for small commercial parking lots and larger-scale projects, enabling installers to expand existing systems easily. This functionality increases solar power generation capacity and solar carport space as needed.
Each cantilever solar pergola in our range is fabricated from high-quality, durable 6000 series aluminum. This material is extruded domestically and offers excellent weather-resistant properties. Able to withstand snow loads of 0 – 100psf and wind loads of 0 – 200mph, these canopies are suitable for all terrains and project locations, even for sites with significant meteorological pressures.
This canopy product range also offers customers the best price ratio, making it ideal for project owners looking for a cost-effective solution with a high return on investment. That said, although our cantilever canopies come with cast-in-place cages, they do require large foundations to anchor them securely at a project site. This can increase the costs of laying foundations, which is important to bear in mind when drafting project budgets.
Post-Truss Solar Canopies
BSCC’s Post-Truss solar canopies are our most extensively customizable option. Made from aluminum, this residential or commercial solar carport or pergola design requires smaller foundations than cantilever canopies, making it cost-effective for projects of all sizes.
We recommend this product range for rapidly deploying solar in commercial parking lots. It has been designed for seamless construction, enabling customers to conveniently power their companies and company fleets with a few simple bolt connections. No onsite welding or heavy equipment necessary.
Post-truss canopies are also best for setting up solar canopy EV charging stations for electric vehicle fleets. This functionality enables commercial clients to minimize emissions, allowing them to remain compliant with the latest sustainability guidelines.
Our post-truss solar pergola solutions offer larger spatial spans than other options, like our wood post canopies. This allows for the installation of panels over areas where it is not possible to land a post or column. Unsupported spans are pre-engineered up to 28’ and can go as long as 40’ under lower snow load conditions. While highly functional, this option is still sturdy and stylish and can handle wind speeds of 0 – 150mph and snow loads of 0 – 80psf. The modern solar canopy design enhances the visual appeal of commercial spaces without compromising on versatility and cost savings.
A-Frame Solar Canopies
Designed for use on urban rooftops, our A-Frame solar canopies are our original, award-winning product line. Each aluminum canopy structure in this range has been engineered to evenly distribute the weight of solar arrays across multiple points of attachment to provide a safe and secure structural solution.
This range is optimally suited for providing amenity space for flat-roofed townhouses. It also elevates solar panels over code barriers and common roof obstructions like chimneys and satellite network equipment.
Also fabricated from aluminum, our A-frame solar canopies carry the highest wind load, snow load, and seismic category ratings of any of our product lines. This makes them the best solar carports for snow as they can withstand snow loads of 0 – 100psf, ideal for even the harshest and coldest US climates.
These are also the best solar canopies for wind, as they can withstand wind loads of 0 – 200mph, making them our top-performing hurricane-proof solar canopies. With a seismic category rating of A—E, installers and clients can rest assured that their A-frame canopies will maintain their structural integrity at varying levels of seismic activity, too.
Wood-Post Solar Canopies
Our Wood-Post solar canopies provide the perfect balance of style, sophistication, and functionality. This range offers an unparalleled aesthetic appeal thanks to its natural wood post finishes and elevated solar style. The wood posts used can be finished with a project owner’s choice of varnish, paint, or weather-resistant coatings, allowing them to fully customize the look of their solar carport, pool solar canopy, or solar awning with ease.
For a durable and secure installation, we provide installers and clients with:
- Powder-coated aluminum solar rail
- Powder-coated aluminum brackets
- Spax lag bolts and concrete anchor bolts
Installers will need to provide the panel mid and end clamps and wooden beams.
Simple to construct anywhere in the United States, our wood solar canopy designs are ideally suited to residential homes. They are available in single and double bay sizes, offering customizable space for vehicle protection and solar panel installation. Their smaller foundation requirements make them an easy-to-install, cost-effective choice for smaller-scale and residential projects.
Find the Best Solar Canopies for Your Project Needs with Brooklyn Solar Canopy Co.
Each of our solar carport designs offers unique advantages and functions for solar installation projects. Our cantilever canopies are perfect for large-scale commercial projects and offer excellent customizability and lightweight strength. Post-truss canopies – our most customizable product – enable businesses to rapidly electrify their premises and fleets while benefiting from low foundation expenses.
Our A-frame solar canopies are a prime choice for urban rooftop installations. They evenly distribute the weight of solar panels across roofs, providing a structurally sound solution that performs optimally under snow loads, wind loads, and seismic events. If you’re looking for a stylish and practical residential solar carport solution, our wood post canopies balance strength with elegance and provide optimal solar panel housing for households of all sizes.
All our canopies are panel agnostic and offer a full 30-year equipment warranty to protect customers’ solar investments and deliver favorable solar canopy ROI for decades.
Contact our expert team today to learn more about our products and get a quote for a solar canopy that perfectly aligns with your project needs.