It’s the sunniest summer on record in Maricopa. One apartment home development in town is taking advantage.
The Copa Flats apartments on Porter Road near Maricopa-Casa Grandy Highway rolled out innovative new parking structures Thursday.
The solar panel-topped parking spaces add a splash of eco-friendly design to the affordable housing complex that debuted early this year.
Ten parking structures total more than 800 solar cells.
Here’s a bird’s-eye view of the updates:
![City Manager Ben Bitter speaks during a Chamber of Commerce event at Global Water Resources on April 11, 2024. Bitter discussed the current state of economic development in Maricopa, as well as hinting at lowering property tax rates again. [Monica D. Spencer]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/spencer-041124-ben-bitter-chamber-property-taxes-web-218x150.jpg "City gave new manager big low-interest home loan")
![Vice Mayor Amber Liermann and Councilmember Eric Goettl review parts of the city's 2024 operational budget with Mayor Nancy Smith on April 24, 2024. [Monica D. Spencer]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/spencer-042424-preliminary-budget-meeting-web-218x150.jpg "3 things to know about the new city budget")
![Phoenix police stop a stolen vehicle on April 20, 2024. [Facebook]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5040-218x150.jpg "Alleged car thief released without charges")
![City Manager Ben Bitter speaks during a Chamber of Commerce event at Global Water Resources on April 11, 2024. Bitter discussed the current state of economic development in Maricopa, as well as hinting at lowering property tax rates again. [Monica D. Spencer]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/spencer-041124-ben-bitter-chamber-property-taxes-web-100x70.jpg "City gave new manager big low-interest home loan")
InMaricopa, please do research before parroting the lie of “eco friendly design”.
Solar panels are composed of photovoltaic (PV) cells that convert sunlight to electricity. When these panels enter landfills, valuable resources go to waste. And because solar panels contain toxic materials like lead that can leach out as they break down, landfilling also creates new environmental hazards.
https://www.wired.com/story/solar-panels-are-starting-to-die-leaving-behind-toxic-trash/