PairTree features bifacial solar panels available in 4.6 kW and 5 kW units combined with a 42.4 kWh capacity storage system and one or two AC level 2 EV chargers.
Paired Power, a U.S.-based solar charging infrastructure manufacturer, launched PairTree, a stand-alone, solar-powered canopy and electric vehicle (EV) charger that the company says takes an average of four hours to install.
Like Paired Power’s other products, PairTree is a solar-powered EV charger; however, it doesn’t need the electric grid connectivity to function. The off-grid product can provide backup power in remote areas and military sites.
The solar canopy takes up a standard 9- by 18-foot parking space. It features bifacial solar panels available in 4.6 kW units combined with a UL 9450-listed battery energy storage system and one or two level 2 EV chargers. The solar panel’s bifacial design means reflected light can reach the bottom surfaces of each panel without shading from mounting systems or other infrastructure obstructing it.
Paired Power said its bifacial panels can increase PairTree’s energy yield by as much as 15%, allowing its 4.6 kW units to perform as effectively as a 5.3 kW solar array.
Depending on the capacity of its battery energy storage system, which the company says maxes out at 42.4 kWh, the product provides between 75 and 230 miles of daily range. PairTree’s operating temperature ranges between -20° F and 120° F. It is designed to withstand wind speeds up to 130 mph and 40 psf snow loads.
Users can control charging via a software app they install on their phones. Tom McCalmont, CEO of Paired Power told pv magazine USA that each PairTree is connected to the cloud using similar commercial security services that protect online banking systems.
“All traffic between the charging stations and the data in the cloud is encrypted, as is all access to the data that we provide for monitoring system performance,” he said.
The base price for a unit ranges between $28,000 and $78,000 based on the battery size and number of chargers. Installation generally costs up to $5000 per system, with exact numbers dependent on location. However, Paired Tree states that customers may be eligible to claim a 40% tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Investment Tax incentive.
