Goodwe Residential Solar Carport - Finally a Carport Worth Taking Seriously?

I have always felt a fondness for solar carports. They are simple objects that beautifully combine two important applications into one product – sheltering your car from the elements while also generating clean energy for your home or business. They are a boon for people who have odd-shaped roofs where solar panels are not feasible. And yet, for some reason, solar carports never became a truly mainstream solar product. 

Enter Goodwe’s modular, residential solar carport! Goodwe, a Chinese company with some notable solar panel options, offers a standardised solar carport designed specifically for residential spaces. With its simple construction, available add-ons, and (most importantly) an attractive price tag, this may be the solar carport that we’ve always been waiting for. Let’s take a close look at the Goodwe Vela Plus Carport and its most noteworthy features.

Goodwe’s Single Solar Carport

Specs

Let’s start at the top – the Vela Plus comes with Goodwe’s in-house-made Polaris solar panels. Specifically, it uses the 535 W BIPV panels. These are the brand’s high-end, N-type, TOPCon half-cell panels with a decent efficiency of 21.9%. Moreover, the panels have a bifacial design, allowing them to generate power using incident light from both sides.  The framing on these panels are specifically designed to connect with one another so there is no gaps in-between the panels so water can't get through.

The Vela Plus comes in both single and double carport models. The single version uses nine solar panels while the double one comes with 15 panels. That makes the power output an adequate 4.8 kW for the single carport and a sizeable 8 kW for the double option. Below are the dimensions of the carport for both the available versions:

The structure of the carport is built from powder-coated aluminium alloy, while the base is made of galvanized carbon steel, a much tougher material for bearing the weight of all those big panels. All these materials are non-corrosive, which makes the whole carport waterproof, an essential feature.

The vertical poles of both carports come with height adjustment, allowing up to 500 mm of height variation to accommodate taller cars or to avoid some shadows. The whole structure uses a clamp-mount, glueless design that’s somewhat similar to traditional solar panel racking. It also uses a gutter system to drain off rainwater properly. 

Noteworthy Features

Goodwe’s solar carport promises a bunch of features that most solar carports lack. For instance, its standardised design allows for easy transportation and simplified installation. In most cases, the installer will not even need to make a proper site survey at your location to create a custom carport design. Thanks to this standardisation, Goodwe promises an impressive 3-hour installation time.  

But that’s not all, the manufacturer offers a couple of interesting add-ons. For instance, you can add a sleek motion sensor light to your carport. You can also mount a CCTV on the structure for added safety of your car(s) and the carport itself.

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Goodwe solar carport add-ons

The Vela Plus is not the best-looking carport on the market, but it prioritizes function over form, thanks to its modular design and add-on features. This thoughtfulness of design also made Goodwe Europe a finalist for ‘The Smarter E’ award in 2025 in the e-mobility category.

Last but not least, the Vela Plus carport comes with impressive warranties. The structure itself is backed by a 15-year warranty (except paint). More importantly, the solar panels come with a 15-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty. These numbers are similar to, if not better than, the warranties offered by industry-leading brands at the moment.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of the Goodwe Vela Plus carport depends on a few things, but its standardized design means the pricing will not vary drastically for different homes. As of mid-2025, the single carport’s price is roughly $18,000 installed. Since it's early days this price is only indicative, once we have seen a few more final quotes we'll be able to provide a better estimate.  Most solar installation companies will have access to this product, so you can go through us to get 3 free quotes.

Should You Buy the Goodwe Solar Carport?

The Vela Plus is an excellent upgrade to most Kiwi homes (emphasis on the word ‘most’). However, it is wise to consider a few factors before deciding if Goodwe’s solar carport, or any solar carport for that matter, is right for you. 

At the onset, it may seem like Goodwe’s carport is always a better choice over a traditional solar panel system, since it also offers a covered parking space for nearly the same cost as a rooftop system. However, the carport does not come with an inverter. This means you either need to purchase an inverter, or use one from an existing system.

To answer the question of whether the Vela Plus is right for you, it depends on two key things:

• Whether you truly need outdoor covered parking for your vehicles
• Whether your roof is ill-suited for rooftop solar panels

For homes that already have a covered parking, the carport may not really be necessary. However, you may have a roof with poor orientation, too many gables, skylights, or vents on it, or perhaps not enough life remaining. In that case, the carport may be a great option, provided that you’re comfortable with the slightly higher cost for the inverter.

It is also important to note that the carport may also face orientation challenges, since your home will typically be much taller than the carport, and can possibly cast a shadow on it if installed too close.

Non-Residential Applications

Despite the word ‘residential’ in its name, the carport can also be a decent upgrade for businesses that need to offer covered parking spaces to their customers or employees. This could be a nice way to turn their cost into investment. 

In fact, you could use the carport for practically any application that requires both shade and solar energy. For instance, a farmer in Melbourne installed the Vela Plus as a shelter for their horses.  

About Goodwe

Goodwe is a China-based manufacturer of solar panels. Although not as popular as some of the top names in the sector, Goodwe’s Polaris solar panels have garnered praise for their strong efficiency and warranty numbers as well as their premium construction.

Goodwe was founded in 2010, and has a presence in nine countries. The Goodwe brand has been available in New Zealand and used extensively by solar installation companies.  It is emerging as a reliable brand.

Where to Get the Goodwe Vela Plus Carport

Goodwe offers its solar carport through authorized installers/dealers. The carport is being brought in by a couple of New Zealand based distributors, so it is widely available.

Conclusion

Solar carports are a wonderful application if done correctly, and we think Goodwe’s Vela Plus ticks all the boxes for what you can expect from a simple solar carport. It is particularly useful if your home has an oddly shaped roof or too many obstacles on it for solar panels. It is also a great alternative to rooftop solar if you think solar panels ruin the aesthetics of your house.

Goodwe’s carport is well-priced, looks decent, uses impressive solar panels, and offers interesting add-ons. Currently the competition for purpose built carports are limited, Goodwe's is one of a kind in New Zealand at the moment, but I won't be surprised if competitors follow.

Ultimately, the best first step is always speaking to a reliable installer and perhaps even comparing multiple quotes.