France requires Solar Panels for all Large Parking Lots
France’s Senate approved new legislation that will now require all parking lots with spaces for 80 vehicles or more to be covered by solar panels. This legislation expands to both and new and old parking lots.
More specifically, this legislation indicates that at least half of the spaces will be covered with solar panels and parking lots with 80+ spaces have 5 years to comply (Starting in July 2023). Lots with 400 spaces or more need to comply within the next three years. If parking lots are not compliant, they will be fined 50 Euros per parking spot, per month. A parking lot with 80 spaces that does not comply by the deadline would be fined 48,000 euros per year until the car park meets the requirements.
There are of course exceptions to this new law. Those exceptions include lots that have proven restrains such as architectural, environmental, or heritage related boundaries. This extends also to lots that are more than half way shaded by trees. Last but not least, parking lots for heavy goods vehicles over a certain weight may not be required to install solar panels.
In France today, many lots already have solar panels including an ongoing project for Disneyland Paris. This new law won’t be a huge change in terms of what people are used to seeing but according to the French government, this could generate up to 11 gigawatts of energy. That is the equivalent of ten nuclear reactors.
This law was part of a bigger package but ultimately is a big push towards a renewable future.
Sources:
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/09/france-to-require-all-large-car-parks-to-be-covered-by-solar-panels
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/france-passes-bill-to-require-all-large-parking-lots-to-be-covered-with-solar-panels/
https://www.ecowatch.com/france-solar-panels-car-parks.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2022/11/09/solar-panels-must-cover-large-parking-lots-rules-french-senate/?sh=4860ad934c5b
