For years, the conventional approach to building solar farms has been to build them on acres of undeveloped land. These types of developments and buildouts created competing challenges for the preservation of farmland, biodiversity, housing developments, and ongoing energy generation initiatives.

As more utility companies and communities adopt new methods for capturing renewable energy, so have the demands for land acquisition, transforming undeveloped land into a dwindling resource. Taking a utilitarian approach, urban developers and city planning departments have taken an unorthodox approach in combining urban design with pragmatic engineering.

A major retailer in New Jersey reached out to Northstar Technologies Group for a parking canopy system capable of capturing solar power. Northstar’s SOLARGLAS product line is a high-performance composite racking system for photovoltaic panels. This system is a 100%-FRP structure dedicated to the solar energy market, and can be designed for canopies, ground mounts, or as a roof mount structure.

This project utilized Strongwell products to create a dual-purpose solar car canopy that not only provides shading for vehicles and harnesses the power of the sun but also represents a significant capital improvement for the developer’s real estate asset. These structures can be easily installed and grounded as FRP has low electrical conductivity.

Strongwell’s EXTREN® channels, square tubes, angles, and plates were sourced as structural materials for columns, trusses, and purlins for this all-composite structure. The components were manufactured, flat shipped, and assembled quickly for delivery and installation in New Jersey within a time frame of four months. Being that FRP is resistant to rot and corrosion, this structure is designed to last at least 25 years with the ability to sustain 130-mph wind loads and 60 psf snow loads throughout its service life.

All the project partners and end users shared glowing reviews of Strongwell and Northstar Technologies Group. With the installation of this project and others, Strongwell’s fiberglass structural components continue to shine with their proven durability, delivery support, engineering resources, and time-tested installations. Northstar Technologies Group is redefining what’s possible in renewable infrastructure. In partnership with Strongwell, their FRP-based solutions offer unmatched strength, resilience, and rapid deployment—empowering architects, developers, and utilities to build smarter, more sustainable systems. From solar and structural applications to defense and disaster-resilient housing, Northstar is engineering the future—one composite innovation at a time.

View Printable PDF of this Case Study