A solar carport backed up with battery storage is set to be built in York as part of its ‘HyperHubs’ project.

The solar carport has a proposed generation capacity of up to 400kW, powering a mix of 160kW and 7kW electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

The solar for the eight ultra rapid chargers is to be located on canopies located over 254 parking spaces in the adjacent Park and Ride car park, with solar also going onto canopies above the five 7kW chargers, which will service 10 parking bays.

A battery storage unit is also set to go onto the site to store any excess solar, with the solar expected to generate up to 380,000kWh of electricity per year.

The carport is the first in the HyperHubs element of the Go Ultra Low York Programme and will be located at the Park and Ride site at Monks Cross. A second site at Poppleton Bar has also gone into planning.

The HyperHubs project will see multiple hubs located around the outer ring road of York, with the aim of providing charging in the key traffic flow corridor and accelerate the uptake of EVs in the city by supporting fleets, residents, through traffic and visitors to have the confidence to use EVs.

This is according to the planning documents submitted by Arcus Consulting Services on behalf of the City of York council.

The plans are still subject to approval from the City of York Council. If approved, building will commence in January 2020 with an aim of completion in six months.

Northumberland County Council had similar plans for a 800kW solar carport with battery storage approved in July. However, local councils were this month warned they may face legal challenges if climate change plans are not implemented, with environmental law group ClientEarthdescribing it as a “collective failure”.