Patent ID: 8143841

Claim:
A solar powered charging shelter for recharging an electric vehicle, comprising: a metal standing seam roof having a length and a width in plan view, the length being greater than the width; a metal frame, the metal frame including: a plurality of vertically oriented tubular metal support beams, a first set of said vertically oriented support beams being of a first height and a second set of said vertically oriented support beams being of a second height, the first height being different from the second height; and a plurality of horizontally oriented metal support beams running in a length-wise direction of said roof, wherein each said horizontally oriented metal support beam is comprised of two ‘C-shaped’ purlins arranged in touching, face-to-face fashion such that substantially no gap exists between touch points thereof; and wherein top portions of each said horizontally oriented metal support beam are flush mounted so as to be in direct contact with the bottom of said roof and such that substantially no gap exists between the top portions and the bottom of said roof; a foundation, first ends of each said vertically oriented support beam being mechanically coupled to respective portions of said foundation; a plurality of solar panels mechanically coupled to the top of said roof, each said solar panel being mechanically coupled to said roof by a coupling element; a plurality of retractable electrical outlets mechanically coupled to bottom portions of a group of said horizontally oriented metal support beams, all of the horizontally oriented metal support beams of the group being arranged along the same or substantially the same longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis being in the same direction as the length-wise direction of the said roof, and said electrical outlets being mechanically coupled in spaced apart relation to one another; and a power interface unit electrically coupled to said plurality of solar panels and said electrical outlets, said power interface unit being configured to receive power from said solar panels and to provide power to each of said electrical outlets, wherein said roof is at a non-horizontal angle based on the respective first and second heights of the first and second sets of said vertically oriented metal support beams.