In November 2022, France legislated for all car parks with more than 80 spaces to install solar PV canopies over at least 50% of the area that the car park covers.  The law became effective in July 2023.  It makes sense because car parks are a huge space, cars derive shade from the sun, and protection from the elements, and all the time the roof is generating solar electricity. 

 

The issue for many will be cost.  Standard rooftop solar is economically viable because the roof is already there.  Car parks are different; we must first build the structure, to support the roof, that supports the solar PV modules.  All of that adds cost and lengthens the payback period. However, if a site has demand, and the roofs are full of PV, and there’s no land to support a nearby ground array, then car ports come into their own as perhaps the only realistic option.

 

It is a subjective view, but we think they look great, and it cannot be argued that they are not practical; they provide shade from the summer sun, protection from the rain, and they help generate clean renewable power.

 

Solar car ports will become more prevalent in the UK, and they will form part of the decarbonising strategy of many UK companies over the coming years.

 

At Solar UK we have partnered with a specialist steel engineering business to help us create innovative structures to make the most of car park spaces.  As well as PV, we can incorporate battery storage and EV charging systems.

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Contact the team for further details 01424 772903  sales@solaruk.com