According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in 2024, solar panels were, on average, 41% cheaper than the most affordable fossil fuel-based generation options.
This has spurred innovations in solar panel technology that go beyond traditional solar farms and rooftop installations. Europeans are already getting free electricity from their garden fences, and solar railways may soon appear in Italy following a successful pilot project in Switzerland.
Are solar parking lots a viable solution?
Parking spaces could become another way to adapt urban infrastructure to the renewable energy boom and are already part of the long-term strategies of several European countries.
“Parking lots allow for the generation of electricity without taking up additional land, which is important given the planning challenges faced by ground-mounted solar power plants,” Euronews quotes Rob State of Alight, one of Europe’s leading solar energy developers.
“This infrastructure can be combined with electric vehicle (EV) charging, making it easier and cheaper to install charging stations where they’re needed.”
State adds that solar-paneled canopies over parking lots help lower the temperature inside cars during the summer. According to him, this is becoming “increasingly important” as summers grow hotter.
France Sets the Tone for the Development of Solar Parking Lots
In 2022, France passed a law requiring all existing and new parking lots with a capacity of at least 80 parking spaces to be equipped with solar panels.
Similar regulations are in place in Slovenia, where all new and renovated parking lots larger than 1,000 square meters are required to install solar panels.
In Germany, requirements for installing solar panels on new parking lots have been introduced in several states, with the scope of the requirements depending on the number of parking spaces.
The UK Has Abandoned Solar Parking Lots
Last year, the UK government launched an initiative to gather data and expert opinions to understand how to “unlock the untapped potential” of solar energy in parking lots.
According to the government’s preliminary estimates, an 80-space parking lot could save about 28,000 pounds (approximately 32,000 euros) a year on electricity bills by installing solar canopies over the parking lot and using the electricity they generate.
Companies could also recoup the costs of installing solar panels in parking lots by selling the generated energy back to the grid.
However, based on the results of data collection, research, and expert opinions used to shape new policies and laws, the Ministry of Energy Security and Net-Zero Emissions (DESZN) has concluded that this initiative “will not be pursued further at this stage.”
DESZN emphasizes that solar energy remains a “central” element of its mission to develop clean electricity, adding that the ministry continues to support the installation of solar panels on new buildings, including parking lots, through the Future Buildings Standard program.
