Executive Summary
In partnership with Smart Commercial Solar, Canyon Solar successfully delivered a premium 300kWp Solar Canopy and electric vehicle charging (EVC) hub for AstraZeneca, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.
The project was executed within a tightly compressed five-week window to minimise disruptions to their operations. This was achieved despite construction during one of the wettest Augusts in history.
AstraZeneca is one of the only companies that has installed both an in-situ and prefabricated solar car park. This provided a direct comparative analysis between standard “in-situ” construction methods and Canyon Solar’s patented modular solar shade methodology.
The results:
- A complete system delivered 3 X faster installation than the previous in-situ installation of a similar size
- Less than 25% of the installation hours on site, reducing installation costs and time doing high-risk work
- A fully waterproof system that, transforms an underutilised car park into the most sought after car park for employees wanting to protect their cars from the elements
The Operational Dilemma
Infrastructure vs. Continuity
For large-scale commercial facilities infrastructure upgrades need to be carefully designed and managed to minimise disruption to facility operations. Parking is a particularly critical logistical asset, serving as the daily entry point for hundreds of employees, a staging area for deliveries, and a key component of the facility’s traffic management plan.
Traditional Solar Carpark and Solar Canopy construction, often referred to as "stick-built" or "in-situ" involves constructing each individual element of the structure on site: panel by panel, and purlin by purlin. This results in:
Extended disruption:
Typical in-situ solar carpark installations can take several months to install, resulting in ongoing disruption to the carpark in the medium term.
Typical in-situ solar carpark installations can take several months to install, resulting in ongoing disruption to the carpark in the medium term.
Safety and Quality Risk:
Over 75% of the man-hours on site involve high-risk work, including working at height. This makes it more difficult to manage both safety and quality outcomes of subcontractors on-site
Design Continuity:
Most in-situ systems utilise “off the shelf” componentary that is bolted together to form a large solar car park system, and features such as waterproofing, lighting and electrical vehicle charging are optional extras that are poorly integrated into the design.
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 Shift
Prefabrication First
Across construction, from housing to utility-scale renewables, prefabrication is now the gold standard of advanced construction. It delivers:
- Faster installs;
- Lower site risk;
- Higher quality control; and
- Greater cost certainty.
For solar car parks, the benefit is amplified, because the car park becomes operational sooner, protecting staff access, customer experience, and revenue.
With over 40% of solar car park costs tied to on-site labour, shifting work into a controlled factory environment delivers immediate economic and safety advantages.
The Canyon Solar Method: 80% Off-site
For AstraZeneca, Canyon Solar reversed the traditional labour model. Modular ‘pods’ inclusive of module racking and wiring were fully assembled off-site in controlled factory conditions.
With 80% of the solar canopy manufactured off-site, the remaining 20% was limited to civil works (foundations) and assembly on site. By completing majority of the works prior to arrival on-site, we were able to reduce time on site, working at heights, weather exposure, safety risk and program uncertainty.
The benefits of our method were highlighted when the installation window coincided with record breaking rainfall, which caused minimal disruption to Canyon Solar due to the rapid pace of assembly of prefabricated components. These weather conditions would typically stall traditional installation methodologies for weeks or months, leaving the client with a fenced-off, muddy car park and no power generation.
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.
1
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.
2
Integrated Mobility Hub
The structure serves a dual purpose as a renewable energy asset and 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.
A unique EV charger cable management system was developed in-house by the Canyon team to meet AstraZeneca’s strict EHS requirements regarding cables hanging near the ground, and to design for the reality that communal EV charger cables are often not returned properly and left on the ground.
With our cable management system, cables are unable to be left on the ground, and users can seamlessly charge no matter their vehicle’s charge point configuration
3
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 (2025), 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.
