Self-charging solar carports for LEAF

Nissan has begun construction of a 30-car solar charging carport outside of the future Smyrna plant in Tennessee.

Expected to be completed by July, the clever carport will use renewable energy to charge the company's fleet of Nissan LEAFs, which will be produced there for the North American market from next year.

The idea follows one developed by GE Energy Industrial Solutions in collaboration with Inovetus Solar in Plainville, Connecticut earlier this month (pictured) that is capable of charging up to 13 electric vehicles per day.

A Nissan spokesperson said that when the carports aren't in use, excess electricity will be diverted to the plant for use in manufacturing, but did not divulge how much power the charging stations would generate.

It's not the first time a car manufacturer has used solar energy at its manufacturing plants. Toyota's Tsutsumi plant in Japan has a vast quantity of solar panels atop its roof; the power generated contributing significantly to production of its petrol-electric hybrid model, Prius.

General Motors has a similar arrangement at its Hamtramck plant in Detroit, a 516kW photovoltaic solar array contributing significantly to the manufacture of its extended-range electric car, the Chevrolet Volt.

And it's not just the manufacturers of eco-friendly cars that have adopted such technology. Ferrari, too, uses a massive solar array at its supercar plant in Italy, the arrangement enough to generate 210,000kWh annually.

Nissan says it will eventually construct 125 solar charging stations at its Tennessee facility.

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