Supermarkets, shopping centres and office blocks might soon be required to fit solar panels over their car parks, as part of a new Government plan to boost green energy.
The idea is to turn ordinary car parks into “solar carports” – using the space to generate power for homes, businesses and electric cars. It’s part of a wider push to make better use of space that often just sits empty and exposed to the sun all day.
Ed Miliband’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is looking at whether installing solar panels should be mandatory for new car parks – and possibly existing ones too. They’re also exploring how much it would cost to set up.
If it goes ahead, the move could cut energy bills and provide shaded parking and more EV charging points. Miliband said: “Right now, the sun is shining on hundreds of thousands of car parking spaces across the country which could be used to power our homes and businesses.
“We want to work with businesses and car park operators to turn our car parks into solar carports to save families and businesses money with clean, homegrown British energy.”
According to the Government, an average 80-space car park fitted with solar panels could save around £28,000 a year in electricity costs.
