Executive Summary
In partnership with Smart Commercial Solar, Canyon Solar successfully delivered a premium 300kWp Solar Canopy and electric vehicle (EV) charging hub for AstraZeneca, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.
The project was executed within a tightly compressed five-week window during historically adverse weather conditions, serving as a powerful validation of the operational resilience inherent in modular prefabrication.
This project offers a unique industry benchmark. AstraZeneca, having commissioned a traditional “in-situ” solar carpark just one year prior, was able to provide a direct comparative analysis between standard construction methods and Canyon Solar’s modular solar canopy methodology. The results were definitive: the modular approach delivered the Renewable Energy Asset more than 300% faster than previous traditional builds, with significantly reduced site disruption and additional benefits such as EV charging and rain water capture.
The Operational Dilemma
Infrastructure vs. Continuity
For large-scale commercial facilities, the decision to integrate renewable energy infrastructure often presents a conflict with daily operations. A corporate car park is not merely a slab of bitumen; it is a critical logistical asset. It serves as the daily entry point for hundreds of employees, a staging area for deliveries, and a key component of the site’s traffic management plan.
Traditional Solar Carport and Solar Canopy construction—often referred to as "stick-built" or "in-situ"—typically places a heavy burden on these operations. It requires:
Extensive Site Possession:
Large zones of the car park must be fenced off for months.
Large zones of the car park must be fenced off for months.
Safety Hazards:
On-site cutting, welding, and grinding introduce noise pollution, dust, and “hot work” risks into an active pedestrian environment and typically peaceful office environment.
On-site cutting, welding, and grinding introduce noise pollution, dust, and “hot work” risks into an active pedestrian environment and typically peaceful office environment.
Prolonged Disruption:
The linear nature of traditional construction means that delays in one phase (e.g., rain stopping trenching) cascade through the entire programme, extending the period of reduced parking capacity for the facility and project costs.
The linear nature of traditional construction means that delays in one phase (e.g., rain stopping trenching) cascade through the entire programme, extending the period of reduced parking capacity for the facility and project costs.
AstraZeneca required a solution that would deliver a high-yield Renewable Energy Asset including EV charging capabilities without compromising the safety or efficiency of their active corporate campus.
The objective was clear: significant energy outcomes with minimal operational friction.
The Strategic Pivot
The 80% Prefabrication Standard
Canyon Solar addresses the inefficiencies of the traditional construction model through a “factory-first” delivery strategy. This is not a bespoke approach for special projects; it is the standard procedure for every Canyon Solar deployment, involving the migration of 80% of the construction workload off-site.
For the AstraZeneca project, we reversed the typical ratio of labour. Rather than sending raw materials to a chaotic construction site, we processed them in our controlled manufacturing facility.
The Factory-First Process:
- Structural Assembly: The modular “pods” were fully assembled on the production line. This allows for precision engineering tolerances that are difficult to achieve in an outdoor environment.
- Electrical Pre-Integration: One of the most time-consuming aspects of Solar Canopy installation—cable management and racking integration—was completed before the steel ever left the factory.
- Safety by Design: By moving time intensive activities (panel installation and mounting assembly) into a controlled factory environment, we drastically reduced the safety risk profile for the AstraZeneca site through limiting the time required for contractors to be undertaking high risk work.
This methodology ensures that site activities are limited strictly to civil works (foundations) and final assembly. The site becomes a place for installation, not fabrication.
Operational Resilience: Beating the "Wettest August"
The value of this prefabrication strategy was tested immediately. The project’s installation window coincided with one of the wettest Augusts on record in Sydney.
In a traditional construction scenario, heavy rainfall is a project killer. It turns trenches into mud baths, halts crane lifts, and makes electrical work dangerous or impossible. Typically, a month of rain would push a project schedule back by weeks, if not months, leaving the client with a fenced-off, muddy car park and no power generation.
However, the Canyon Solar methodology decoupled the critical path from the weather.
- De-risked Electrical Works: Because the complex DC wiring and panel mounting were completed under the factory roof, we did not have electricians attempting to terminate cables in the rain.
- Concentrated Civil Works: Our expert on-site delivery team could focus solely on the foundations and trenching during a concentrated two-week window, seizing dry breaks in the weather to execute the groundworks.
We effectively reduced the “weather exposure window” from months to mere days. This resilience allowed the project to maintain its delivery programme despite conditions that would have stalled a traditional solar carpark provider.
Technical Deep Dive: Engineering a Premium Asset
Speed of delivery is meaningless if the final asset does not meet the highest technical standards. The AstraZeneca Solar Car Park was designed to be a flagship sustainability asset, combining next-generation generation technology with user-centric design.
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1. High-Yield Generation (AIKO Energy Panels)
To maximise the energy density of the limited car park footprint, we deployed AIKO Energy solar panels in our unique high efficiency layout.
These units utilise All-Back-Contact (ABC) technology, which eliminates grid lines on the front of the cell. This technology leads the market in conversion efficiency, ensuring AstraZeneca generates maximum kWh for every square metre of Solar Shade space.
To further maximise the generation of the site we utilised our ‘triple pod’ system allowing for the solar canopy to extend beyond the bounds of the carspace. This not only provides more space for power generation but further shading and waterproof roofing for employees.
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Integrated Mobility Hub
The structure serves a dual purpose as a fuel station for the future. We integrated six 22kW AC electric vehicle chargers directly into the Solar Canopy columns.
Thanks to the prefabrication process, cabling routes were pre-planned and concealed within the structure. There is no unsightly retrofitted conduit or external cabling, ensuring a clean, waterproof finish.
This was in-house developed by the Canyon team as requested by AstraZeneca whose EHS policies require no trip hazards from cable on the ground. This means a few things:
- No cable on the floor to trip on, cable hooks you need to un-coil and re-coil when you go to charge. Cable hooks are also notorious for not being returned properly, with cable often left on the ground (think about how the air hose is left at your local service station).
- You can service all 4 sides of the car easily. No matter where your charge point or configuration – you can access it.
- Simple and clean, no retracting cable reel or pivoting arms that get in the way and break.
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Waterproof Amenity
Unlike standard Solar Shade structures which may drip or leak between panels, the Canyon Solar system features a fully waterproofed Solar Canopy roof design. This transforms the car park into a premium employee amenity, offering genuine all-weather protection for staff and vehicles alike.
Logistics: The 48-Hour Transformation
The climax of Canyon Solar projects is the pod installation phase. This 48-hour window at AstraZeneca vividly illustrated the difference between traditional construction and modular installation.
Utilising a 60-tonne mobile crane, the installation team lifted 63 fully assembled pods into position in just two days. This remains the fastest pod installation sequence in Canyon Solar’s history using a single crane configuration.
To the client and their staff, the transformation was almost instantaneous. On Monday morning, the car park was open sky. By Tuesday afternoon, it was a sea of solar.
Project Outcomes
The Comparative Verdict
AstraZeneca’s unique position—having commissioned both a traditional solar carpark build (2023) and a Canyon Solar solar canopy build (2024)—provided a rare, data-driven comparison of the two methodologies.
The feedback confirmed the superiority of the modular approach across three key metrics:
1. Speed of Delivery (3x Improvement)
The project moved from site establishment to commissioning in just 5 weeks. The client confirmed this was more than three times faster than their experience with the previous in-situ installation.
2. Operational Continuity
The “super fast install” was explicitly cited by the client as having minimised impact on their operations. By reducing the time on site, we reduced the impact on the people who work there.
3. Safety & Quality Compliance
For a pharmaceutical giant, safety is non-negotiable. The Canyon Solar process met the rigorous standards required for an operational AZ site, largely achieved by completing 80% of the work in the safety of our factory.
Conclusion
The AstraZeneca project stands as a proof-of-concept for the future of commercial Solar Car Park infrastructure. It demonstrates that the transition to renewable energy does not require a sacrifice of operational capacity.
By standardising 80% off-site prefabrication, Canyon Solar removes the variables that plague traditional construction—weather, site congestion, and safety risk—delivering premium energy assets with a level of certainty that the old way of building simply cannot match.
For facility managers, sustainability leads, and CFOs, this project offers a clear blueprint: It is possible to upgrade your infrastructure without downgrading your operations.
Is your facility ready for infrastructure that works around you?
Contact the Canyon Solar team today to discuss a feasibility assessment for your site.
