HOLT Texas Ltd. subsidiary HOLT Renewables LLC has completed a new solar carport project at a commercial bakery site.

HOLT Renewables and Forth Energy have announced the completion of a 1.036 MW solar project on the parking structure for Bakerly Ranch LLC’s new construction – a $35 million, 137,350-square-foot French bread and pastry facility set for completion at 2024 at Brooks, a mixed-use community on San Antonio’s South Side.

The solar project – the largest of its kind at Brooks, consisting of 1,938 high-efficiency, bifacial solar panels – represents “a major leap forward in sustainable energy solutions for commercial operations,” HOLT Renewables wrote in an Oct. 10 announcement.

Credit: HOLT Renewables

“Bakerly Ranch had a desire for solar energy solution that would be cost-effective while meeting the sustainability goals for the organization. We are honored to have been chosen to deliver this groundbreaking system at Brooks, on the city’s South Side,” said Kevin Chavez, sales operations manager at HOLT Renewables. “This project demonstrates the incredible potential solar energy has to provide sustainable solutions for business.”

Credit: William Luther/San Antonio Express-News

The solar installation, which will provide 53,740 square feet of shaded parking for up to 136 employees, is expected to offset the commercial bakery’s energy usage by more than 1,544,000 kilowatt-hours annually and its CO2 emissions equivalent to 213 homes’ electricity usage for one year, the company estimates.

HOLT Renewables has installed 19 solar projects this year, nine of which have been parking structure projects.

Solar carports are popular for a few key reasons, Chavez said in a July interview with the Business Journal. Not only do they protect cars from extreme temperatures and adverse weather but, “They’re definitely a mark when you pull up into a parking lot (and) there’s these big canopies with solar on top of them,” Chavez said.

“People see them, recognize and appreciate them,” he added.