(Photo courtesy of Intel)

Intel has installed a solar carport at its plant in Chandler.

Employees at Intel’s Ocotillo campus in Chandler now have it made in the shade.

It is a big parking lot. We’re talking 10 acres of concrete. The carport is made up of 30,000 solar modules covering 3,200 spaces.

Intel Director of Global Studies and Infrastructure Marty Sedler says it will generate 7.7 megawatts of electricity. That’s enough to power 1,100 U.S. homes.

“It is connected directly to our buildings and will be used by our facilities," Sedler said. "Which means that we will use less power from the utility and less power from the grid.”

But not a whole lot less. The solar panels will only generate about 6 percent of the power consumed by the plant.

More than 5,000 employees make the newest line of Intel processors at the Chandler facility.