Business Insider says that Turner is outfitting a 2 acre parking lot with a number of solar canopies, which will help generate a massive amount of energy:

“When completed, the total solar capacity of the project will be nearly 200 kilowatt hours. Georgia Power Co. has said that this project is the largest solar project that’s been installed in downtown Atlanta. Turner’s headquarters house Turner Enterprises, the Turner Foundation, Ted Turner’s penthouse (which serves as his Atlanta residence) and Ted’s Montana Grill restaurant as well as the restaurant chain’s headquarters.”

As the amount of electric car owners begins to increase throughout the world, Turner says that he sees this project aiding in the recharging of electric cars as well as powering the building and the restaurant. The story says that the total project cost will hit $1 million, which may seem expensive for such a demonstration project. However, this kind of project can show the many uses for carports.

Not only would these solar carports generate electricity, but they would serve as a way to keep cars cool in the sweltering southern sun. At the same time, any adverse weather would be taken out of the equation for those walking to their vehicles. By adding electricity production to these carports, the overall use of them has been added to exponentially.

According to a story in St. Petersburg Times, Florida set up a program years ago to provide mobile home owners with anchors to destruction in the face of gale-force winds. Unfortunately, the well-meaning program didn’t quite work out:

“Of the more than 23,000 mobile homes retrofitted so far, few appear to have received enough anchors to bring them up to the state’s tough safety standards. Mobile homes requiring a dozen or more new tie-downs instead got just a handful. And state-mandated devices that keep a home from sliding end to end were not always installed.”

Even though Florida spent $33 million on the 23,000 outdated homes, it seems that many of these homes are beginning to fall apart. The article says the problem lies within the legal constructs of the program, which has lax installation standards:

“Despite some homeowners’ expectations, the program does not require [the anchor installation] company to make old mobile homes comply with today’s installation standards. Instead, it lets the company determine how many anchoring devices can be installed. State inspectors randomly check the retrofitted properties to see if equipment is installed correctly. But they do not determine whether the number of anchors meets state rules.”

This is problematic, especially if you have dealt with wicked weather and portable buildings. Anchors and other canopy accessories are extremely important when considering the safety of your carport, which isn’t even a home. Let’s hope Florida can work out its issues.

This is absolutely true in the case of Tauranga, a city in the North Island of New Zealand. According to SunLive, the waterfront in Tauranga will be home to a new playground and a number of portable buildings:

“The playground, along with a boardwalk through to Pilot Bay, and the upgrade of Greerton Library, are plans going out for public consultation in 2012. Tauranga City Council is also applying for resource consent to install 10 portable buildings of 18sqm to cluster around the Edgewater Fan.”

Part of a $4.9 million plan to help boost tourism at the Waterfront, the $300,000 playground is only the beginning of bringing people into the area. The article says that town authorities are hoping that additional spending on portable buildings will not only drive the local economy through the lease of land, but also by bringing tourists to the city walkway:

“Priority One city centre manager Duarne Lankshear says the portable buildings are an opportunity for the tourism, hospitality and recreation industries to provide commercial activities in various areas of the waterfront. ‘They can be used by food and hospitality sectors, for tourism type operations like jet boat tours and water taxis, and a place for events and activity.’”

Although the costs of the buildings will be a major undertaking for private businesses, the yearly rental is inexpensive, costing only about $2000 – 10,000 a year. The driving force behind using portable buildings is the ability for these structures to be used by any business that is interested.

“…faculty, staff and students on the Morrisville State College campus are doing [much] to raise education, action and awareness about hunger and homelessness during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Nov. 14-20. The campus will be hosting food drives and other associated activities, including a hygiene drive challenge.”

The most interesting part about this campus’s involvement is one professor’s decision to include a design-specific class as a pivotal part of the efforts. The article says that one architecture class has been tasked with designing homemade portable shelters that will act as a home for one night of the week-long observation. The shelters have a few stipulations that will act as a learning experience for many of the students:

“In preparation, Englot’s students have been researching rural homelessness and will design individual makeshift shelters on a shoestring budget. Innovativeness, like using donated and recycled materials, scraps and castoffs will be an important consideration in their design. The task comes with rules and guidelines—shelters must be habitable, portable, resistant to moisture and cold, provide light and ventilation to the interior, and must be aesthetically pleasing.”

As the winter approaches, I don’t expect any of our readers to develop and create their own personal shelter solutions for your property. You should always purchase portable storage sheds and temporary garages from reliable sources to ensure not only proper protection, but also safety.

-          Shelters of America carries products made from galvanized steel frames instead of powder coated steel. The latter has the ability to rust, scratch and be unreliable, negative traits that galvanized steel doesn’t have. There is also the anti-corrosion that galvanized steel offers to people relying on canopies in terrible weather conditions like rain, snow, etc.

-          Galvanized steel also has a much higher threshold for tension and can handle larger amounts of weight if necessary. It won’t wear itself thin from the inside out like power-coated steel. You can’t go wrong with strength and corrosion protection in one package.

-          Always be aware of the warranties that come along with your shelters – this can add a lot to the value of the product you buy. Even though we have some of the best canopies and garages you will ever find, having a strong warranty is a benefit that pays off in case of problems.

-          The buildings at Shelters of America are built to withstand all kinds of weather, but that doesn’t mean that you should overlook bigger storms that require special attention to your portable shelter. If a large storm is on its way, make sure to secure your shelters extra carefully with appropriate anchors and canopy accessories as well.

For instance, Portable Garage Depot is giving away a 6 x 6 x 6 economy shelter, perfect for your motorcycle or lawnmower. Not only will you get the shelter for free if you win, but Portable Garage Depot will also deliver it directly to your home at no charge!

Here is the easiest way to enter to win this economy shelter from Portable Garage Depot:

-          Login into your Facebook account

-          Visit this link and click ‘Like’ to open up the contest form – https://www.facebook.com/portablegarages

-OR-

-          If you are a fan already, click on “FREE Contest” underneath the profile picture on the left hand side.

-          Open up a new window and login into Twitter.

-          Follow @PGDEPOT on Twitter at this link – http://twitter.com/PGDEPOT

-          Fill out the form fully – with your Twitter username! – and submit it!

That’s it! You just got yourself two free entries into the Portable Garage Depot drawing for a 6 x 6 x 6 economy shelter. The drawing is at the end of October (dates may change) and if you win, we will contact you for your address so we can ship out the shelter for free!

Share this blog post with your friends and family! We look forward to giving this prize away!

Another major draw of the Big E is the entertainment, which ranges from parades to horse shows and major concerts. This year, there are a number of wildly popular musicians coming to perform at the fair, including country songstress Reba, classic rock band Cheap Trick and country star Blake Shelton. Don’t miss out on the The Big E Super Circus either – it’s a blast for the whole family!

However, the Avenues of States and various concerts are not the only part of the Big E that people come out for – let’s not forget all of the vendors who come to the exposition to show off their wares! One such vendor is Portable Garage Depot, a world leader in the sale of portable garages, shelters and other temporary structures for storage. A wide variety of products from Portable Garage Depot will be on display, including a number of DIY garages for your vehicles, lawnmowers, boats, RVs and other equipment you simply don’t have room for in your house. You are definitely going to want to check them out this year at the Big E.

Throughout the Big E, stay tuned to Portable Garage Depot’s Facebook and Twitter pages for information about the fair – and a secret fans-only contest that will be announced shortly! Make sure to stop by their booth for the best in portable garages, canopies and all of your outdoor storage needs!

The Big E takes place at the Eastern States Exposition from September 16th to October 2nd.

The majority of canopies and carports are used for these reasons as it is – protecting vehicles from the elements – but some towns are looking to make them even more useful. In an article from Physorg, the canopies are being fitted with solar panels to collect energy while shielding the cars from the sun. This isn’t anything new (I’ve written about it before) but the solar canopies we’re talking about are very different:

“…they’re big silver specimens with 12-foot-tall trunks and broad steel canopies that will shield cars from the sun – and produce solar power. Known as ‘solar trees’ because they are topped with photovoltaic cells, the ‘groves’ are sprouting up in California parking lots at Santa Clara County government buildings and health clinics in San Jose and Gilroy, and at a jail in Milpitas.”

The installation costs of this type of project might seem too much to handle in a rough economy, but just think about the money being made on the backend. According to the article, greenhouse gases will be cut down and $18 million will be saved over the course of 25 years. The real beauty of these solar trees however, is not the shielding of heat, is the space they take up:

“The solar trees at the eight sites will eat up only six of more than 1,000 parking spaces.”

Now that’s environmental and friendly!

An article from the North Bay Business Journal is just one example of how carports are becoming a recession-proof must have item for many areas. In this case, a school district is sinking major funding into solar carports at schools:

“For example, Sonoma Valley Unified School District this year is putting $9.61 million of the $40 million general obligation bond approved by voters last fall toward photovoltaic systems and related structures designed by Quattrocchi Kwok Architects of Santa Rosa. Graton-based solar installer One Sun is set to start this week at nine campuses, district offices and the bus barn and be completed by Aug. 15 before the 4,600 students in the district return. The project would feed a total of 2.1 megawatts to the electrical grid.”

At 14 different schools around the Napa county and Sonoma county areas, solar panels will actually be adding to existing carports to aid in the generation of renewable energy for the schools to use. Costs will be cut exponentially over the years, especially with the cost of energy going up across the world:

“The Sonoma Valley district is tapping $3.83 million in California Solar Initiative rebates, with $750,000 generated in each of the first five years. The photovoltaic system was designed to offset 96 percent of the district’s annual electricity use, saving $500,000 in district general funds the first year and $26 million over 25 years.”

If you have a business that needs help to increase profits or save money, you may want to look into the installation of solar carports for the renewable future of your company.

Storage: At its base level, a portable garage is wonderful for storing vehicles that you may not have room for in your garage. This includes any number of yard tools and even recreational vehicles – lawn mowers, motorcycles, garden tools, bicycles, etc. You can also store about anything that you don’t have room for in your home inside your portable garage.

Cost Saving: Instead of having to build a permanent structure on your property to add room for the things you own, you can purchase a temporary building for much cheaper. In most cases, installation is a breeze and you can finish the job yourself. Don’t worry about adding to your home, just put up a portable garage!

Off-Season – As the seasons roll by, you may have use for one thing, but not another. Obviously, you will need somewhere to put your boat, patio furniture or other summer / spring items when the winter begins to come into play. The same goes for your snowmobiles and snowblowers in the summer time. A portable garage can act as the space you use depending on the season.

Variable – Depending on the size of your portable garage, you can store a number of items that would normally not fit in your home. This could be a tractor, a large RV, campers, etc.