Installing solar carports in more than half a million suitable parking spaces owned by British companies can generate 1.57 GW of solar energy.
According to research by the Norwich, this is Rennergy, a company that offers solutions for renewable energy, including solar carports, EV charging stations and solar installations.
The research is the evaluation of parking garages in the United Kingdom that can be suitable for carports for solar energy -rising PV slips that are above parking spaces. They can offer electricity to the company or to EV loading points installed below.
According to the research, the amount of suitable parking places it has identified in England and Scotland in golf clubs, hospitals, hotels, airports and sports centers is “only on the surface”.
As the study continues, Rennergy said that “hundreds of thousands” more spaces will be identified.
Managing Director Van RenEnergy Damian Baker noted: “If we are going to improve our energy security in the United Kingdom and reduce CO2 emissions in accordance with goals, we must view all available options.
“There is an unused electricity waiting for companies in the United Kingdom in their parking garages. They can use enough energy to cover their electricity needs and even redeem energy to the grid, pay for their investment in the process. “
In France, a mandate of 2022 required that parking garages with space for at least 80 vehicles are covered by solar panels. The mandate that applied to new and existing parking garages and was on parking for five years to meet the measures – three years for parking garages with more than 400 spaces.
The unlocked capacity is expected to be around 11 GW – the same figure was given by the BBC as a conservative estimate of the capacity that the UK could reach under similar legislation.
In 2019 Bently Motors installed a parking space on a solar energy at the head office in Crewe. The 10,000 solar panels of the site have a capacity of 2.7 MW and cover an area of 16,426 m². Together with other installed solar panels and 6.6 MW battery storage, the parking lot all production activities of Bentley can be powered by solar energy or certified green energy.
While PV -Arrays mounted on the ground undergone a long process to receive permission from the planning or landowner, RenEnergy said that Solar Carports can see approval within eight weeks under permitted development with prior approval. The company said it can then support companies by getting approval for the district network operator (DNO) to guarantee the schedule capacity and export.
Companies can reduce the costs for installing a solar port by selling energy back to the network or via long -term Power Purchen Agreements (PPAs).
Baker added: “We do not use the possibility for solar energy that is right in front of us. If companies can find their energy supply in their parking lot without extra costs for them, we can see the equivalent energy for hundreds of thousands of houses that do not have to come out of the schedule. “