Case Study: 

Installing Carport Solar Array 

BETTER BUILDINGS ALLIANCE 

Two Birds with One Stone: Installing 

Carport Solar Arrays 

The Hampton Inn & Suites Bakersfield NorthAirport, located about two hours north of Los 

Angeles, California, has to operate in a hot 

climate where summer daytime temperatures 

often exceed 100 oF. As a result, the hotel’s 

largest electricity expenses are its heating, 

ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) due to 

maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures 

for guests 24/7. To mitigate electricity costs, the 

hotel management, Blackstone Hospitality 

Group, began to investigate opportunities to 

install solar. 

Project Keys to Success 

Installing a rooftop array would have been 

problematic because it would have required the 

Part of the Hampton Inn & Suites array in 


Bakersfield, CA. Photo credit: REC Solar. 


hotel to close the top floor during construction, 

forfeiting that revenue for the construction 

period. Installing a carport-mounted array 

bypassed this potential issue, and additionally 

offered much-needed shade from the sun for 

guests’ cars. 

There were two additional approvals necessary 

once the carport solar array was planned. The 

Hampton Inn & Suites is a franchise of the Hilton 

Worldwide1

 brand, therefore Hilton Worldwide 

needs to approve any aesthetic modifications to 

its hotels. This approval process went smoothly 

for the Hampton Inn & Suites because the Hilton 

Worldwide was very supportive and receptive to 

the project. Specifically, the sustainability 

department and the design & construction 

department, including the Vice President of 

Design & Construction, helped move the project 

through the process quickly. Additionally, like 

many hotel properties, the Hampton Inn is 

located in a local Planned Development zone, 

which requires changes to the property to 

receive additional review by the planning 

jurisdiction. This additional step also proceeded 

SOLAR PROJECT SPOTLIGHT 

Date Installed July 2014 

Location Bakersfield, California 

Size 102 kW 

Annual 

Production 157,080 kWh 

Electricity 

Offset 37-44% 

Monthly Bill 

Savings $8,800 

Expected 

Payback 7.75 years 

Financing SBA 504 Green Energy 

loan 

smoothly. 

1 Hilton Worldwide is a Better Buildings Challenge partner. 

Learn more at betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov 
Financing 

Blackstone Hospitality Group included the cost of the 

solar installation and the energy efficiency upgrade in 

its initial financing package for the hotel, which was 

purchased in November 2013. Blackstone utilized a 

Small Business Administration Green 504 loan for 35 

percent of the total purchase price, and financed the 

remainder with a conventional bridge loan. 

The installation construction took up approximately 

75 percent of the parking lot, but the hotel remained 

active, requiring tight control to ensure public safety. 

REC Solar barricaded construction zones and 

implemented a site-specific safety plan to keep hotel 

patrons informed and safe. Throughout the 

construction process, the company kept the hotel 

updated on the system’s schedule and progress. 

The 102 kilowatt (kW) carport-mounted solar 

photovoltaic array was completed in July 2014. In 

combination with energy efficiency measures, the 

solar energy is expected to offset up to 44 percent of 

the 94-room hotel’s electricity costs. The carport 

installation also hosts two electric vehicle charging 

stations, which may be expanded to eight charging 

stations in the future. 

The full 102 kW Hampton Inn & Suites array in 

Bakersfield, CA. Photo credit: REC Solar 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

 Due to the fact that guest parking 

availability would be significantly 

reduced during construction, the hotel 

prepared a plan to minimize guest 

impact and created a lobby display to 

explain the solar project. As a result, 

guests were extremely receptive and 

their understanding was 

“phenomenal”. No issues were raised 

throughout the process, in large part 

due to the clear communications to 

ensure guest engagement and 

education. 

 Not all lenders are familiar with the 

Small Business Administration Green 

504 loan program. Blackstone 

Hospitality Group worked closely with 

its lender to discuss program options 

and nuances, resulting in the lender 

agreeing to participate. REC Solar, the 

solar contractor, also collaborated with 

the lender to determine that the loan 

would be treated as a construction loan 

with periodic payments due to REC 

Solar during installation. 

Learn more at betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov