Until recently, the city of Pittsburgh had 10 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to fuel its fleet of EVs. The city is adding five more, and the state of Montana announced it is adding three new EV charging stations to its existing 35 EV charging stations.

So, what's the big deal? There are thousands of EV charging stations nationwide, and more are being added every month. The big deal is that the five new ones in Pittsburgh and the three new ones in Montana are solar-powered EV charging stations.

Pittsburgh's five new stations provide emissions-free EV charging and can serve as a source of emergency power during grid failures.

Each station generates enough energy to power up to 225 miles of EV driving per day. However, in potentially bad news for electrical contractors, they require no trenching, foundations, electrical connections, or installation work of any kind because they are not grid-connected. They can be installed at any location and can also be moved around to new locations quickly and easily.

For Pittsburgh, the shift from grid-connected to solar-powered EV charging stations is part of the city's ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. It intends to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035.

"In Pittsburgh, we are working to achieve long-term environmental health through wise stewardship, improved use of our resources and reducing our carbon footprint," said Mayor William Peduto. He sees the solar-powered charging stations as "one more step on our journey toward making Pittsburgh 100 percent renewable."

In Montana, the three new solar-powered EV charging stations are part of a $150,000 U.S. Department of Energy grant designed to assess the feasibility of this new technology, including identifying ideal locations for siting, their impact on the electric grid, and public policy.

"These two technologies [EVs and solar-powered charging stations] can be a natural fit, and the grant seeks to expand market opportunities for solar," said Kyla Maki, an energy resource professional with the Energy Office of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

Solar-powered EV charging stations are making headway in other communities, too, even very small ones. Recently, Scarborough, Maine, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its first solar-powered EV charging station, which is powered by a four-panel solar array.