Putting the Parking Lot to Work
The campus had roof space committed to operations and plenty of open parking. Carports turn that parking into a power plant without touching the buildings, and they give staff and visitors shade in a part of Riverside County that regularly runs well past 90 degrees in summer.
The owner went the third-party route: a power purchase agreement with an outside system owner, which means no capital outlay for the site. That structure adds a second party who has to sign off on design, monitoring and handoff, so the build had to hold up to two sets of eyes.
It also meant two permits (one for the carport structures, one for the solar electrical), a mid-project permit revision, and domestic content plus prevailing wage documentation tracked all the way through.
The Build, Photographed
Job-site photos from the finished installation. Click any photo to enlarge.
Scope Delivered
Carport Structures
Steel canopies across multiple parking areas, permitted as structures in their own right and built to carry the array for its full service life.
556-Module Bifacial Array
Heliene bifacial modules pick up light reflected off the pavement below as well as direct sun from above, a good fit for carports where the underside is open to the ground.
Switchgear + Interconnection
New 400A PV main disconnect, solar load center and distribution panel work at the main switchboard, tied in under SCE Rule 21.
Revenue-Grade Monitoring
Revenue-grade meter and an on-site weather station feeding PowerTrack, validated in a third-party site report before handoff to the system owner.
How We Built It Right
Inverters on the columns, not on a pad
All five string inverters mount directly to the carport columns, close to the strings they serve. That shortens DC runs, keeps parking spaces open, and puts every inverter at a height a technician can reach without a lift.
Clean conduit under every canopy
Conduit runs tight along the carport beams with the wiring dressed inside the structure, so the underside reads clean from the parking stalls below. The same standard runs to the junction boxes and the switchgear.
A permit revision handled mid-build
When conductor sizing, conduit routing and voltage drop calcs needed to change, Keen filed the revision with the City of Murrieta and kept the job moving. The project passed building and electrical final in June 2026.
Compliance documented for the tax credit
Prevailing wage and domestic content were tracked through the job so the system owner can support its federal credit claim. Our FEOC guide explains why that paperwork now matters as much as the panels.
What This Project Proves for Your Property
If your buildings are tight on roof space but you have parking, carports are how you get to a meaningful system size. This project shows a full carport build, structures through interconnection, delivered on an occupied campus with a third-party owner in the loop.
Keen serves businesses across the Inland Empire, including Murrieta, Temecula and Menifee. See how we approach commercial solar and how a PPA can get you solar with no upfront cost.
Questions About Projects Like This
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