Solar canopies.. coming to a supermarket near you!

If you own a car park, construct car parks or manage a car park, you’ll want to be part of this conversation:

Under new proposals, solar canopies could be a requirement for all new car parking areas - and could be applied to some existing car parks too

DESNZ is working on a new law that will mandate solar canopies over parking bays. This legislation could potentially be applied to existing car parks as well as new ones. 

Nothing is set in stone at this stage; The Government is asking general questions about the proposal; gathering thoughts from landowners and property developers through a Call For Evidence survey.

It also talks about further relaxations to Permitted Development Rights and other existing laws so there’s less bureaucracy around this installation of EV Charging points, both for privately owned buildings and council-operated on-street chargers.

You can read the details here. Deadline for responses is 18th June 2025. Not applicable in Scotland:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/681a064ddf188ba858873a97/solar-carparks-ev-charging-call-for-evidence.pdf

Many of us will have seen these systems operating quite happily in other European countries but, until now, the UK has been more focused on installing PV to rooftops and on farmland.

Speaking as a Cotswolder, I like the sound of this plan. If we can do more to encourage large-scale PV installations in built-up areas to take some pressure off open farmland development, that’s got to be a good thing.

I know it’s not an either/or situation, but I’m sure those lovely tourists with deep wallets would much prefer to park under a solar panel than have it interrupting their scenic selfies.

If you’re in the car parking business, here are some pros and cons:

✅ Electricity that’s generated can be sold back to the grid, making money for the owners.

✅ If the car park belongs to a supermarket or retail park, the buildings can directly benefit from the generated power, reducing hashtag#FuelBills.

✅ By including battery infrastructure, energy can be stored on site and used for EV charging.

✅ And users will have plenty of shade to park under on those really hot (and really wet) days.

❌ Grid connections. The local infrastructure might not be able to cope, which can lead to export caps.

❌ There will be installation costs and maintenance fees (estimates are listed on the above link)

❌ Higher risk of criminal damage.. more opportunities to do parkour 😉 

❌ Suitability of installations near listed buildings or in areas of outstanding natural beauty.

If you've got opinions on this, you're welcome to leave a comment. But I'd rather you download the document, read it, respond to it, and help DESNZ get this law right from Day One.