UK Weighs Solar Carport Mandates as EU Pushes Ahead

UK Likely to Follow EU?

EU countries are introducing legislation requiring large car parks to install solar panels while the UK decides if, when, and how to follow.

• The UK’s 500 largest businesses could together save £140mn annually on energy costs by installing solar carports on their car parks, recent reports show.
• France has already introduced regulations requiring half of large car parks to be covered with solar panels.
• The UK solar industry suggests businesses can install canopies as part of a microgrid to power adjacent buildings. Unlike grid-connected schemes, where businesses would find it "impossible" to install solar due to grid capacity restrictions, microgrids could offer a viable alternative.

Potential Savings & Environmental BenefitsThe UK’s 500 largest businesses could save more than £1.4bn on energy costs over the next decade by installing solar carports—canopy structures fitted with photovoltaic panels—over their car parks.A recent report highlights that, based on the car park size of major UK businesses, installing solar carports could generate sufficient energy to offset 570,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year. Expanding this to the country’s 8,000 large businesses could yield even greater savings—900,000 tonnes of CO₂ offset annually and a reduction in energy bills by £2.2bn per year.Carports can be installed on- or off-grid. Connected businesses could sell excess energy back to the grid (following approval by the local distribution network operator), helping stabilize energy supply during peak demand periods.EU Regulation to Solarise Car ParksEurope is already mandating the use of solar panels in car parks. The EU Performance of Buildings Directive states that by the end of December 2029, solar must be installed on "all new roofed car parks physically adjacent to buildings."Several European countries have already introduced legislation requiring the installation of PV panels in large car parks:

• Germany: Five states require solar panels on newly built car parks, with different minimum space requirements per region.
• Lower Austria: Implemented similar regulations.
• Slovenia (2023): Mandated solar panels for newly constructed buildings, horizontal building extensions, renovated roofs, and new parking lots.
• Greece: Requires 60% coverage on all large open car parks.
• France: Under its Climate and Resilience Act, mandates 50% coverage of large car parks (>1,500 sqm) for non-residential buildings. New car parks authorized after March 10, 2023, must comply immediately, while existing car parks over 10,000 sqm must comply by July 2026, and those between 1,500 and 10,000 sqm by July 2028.

Hélène Gassin, energy policy expert at French renewable energy advocacy group L’association NégaWatt, notes that grid connection remains a challenge for some regions.State of the UK Grid: A Major HurdleA UK solar industry source, who wishes to remain anonymous, highlights the "unfortunate reality" that installing PV on every UK car park is currently unrealistic due to grid constraints.Grid access is particularly challenging for car park projects due to their scale. Solar installations in supermarket car parks or warehouse roofs are typically commercial-scale (>50 kW), and local grids lack capacity for such large power inputs. Additionally, existing car parks cannot be relocated for better grid connections.Grid connection wait times in the UK often exceed those in Europe. Tom Veli, Head of Energy Networks at LCP Delta, explains:

• UK wait times: Range from six months to over 10 years, with 40% of projects facing delays due to capacity issues.
• Germany wait times: Typically six to 12 months.

A March Environmental Audit Committee report found that UK renewables projects are facing 12-14 year delays for new transmission infrastructure.Government Response & Future OutlookA Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson confirms that the government has granted planning allowances for nearly 2GW of nationally significant solar projects since July.Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has pledged to accelerate grid construction to meet the clean power target by 2030. In October, the government reactivated its solar task force to tackle sector growth barriers, including grid access issues. A strategic roadmap is expected after consultations.Despite these grid challenges, solar carports will play a role in the UK’s upcoming Climate Action Plan, primarily because they can convert unused car park space into energy-generating assets. Unlike grid-tied schemes, the focus will be on local microgrids to reduce energy bills, rather than exporting excess power back to the grid.