Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability (Jan 2025)
Solar parking lot capacity: an abundant dual-use alternative to meet demand for the renewable energy transition
Abstract
Most utility-scale solar facilities (USSFs) in the United States (US) are planned or installed in grasslands, pastures, agriculture land, and timberland, with aggressive future expansion plans. Investor-owned electricity providers have lobbied aggressively to remove obstacles to approval of USSFs on agricultural lands and for limits on regulations that support distributed solar installation. Rural USSF expansion may have potentially significant local, state, and regional impacts on agricultural production and the economy, property values and affordability, and conservation of habitats, connectivity, and endangered species. The potential use of parking lots in urban and suburban areas for solar development to meet demands is poorly studied and parking lot solar has not gained much traction in the US. The objective of this research was to estimate whether solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in parking lots can meet electricity demands across multiple urban and suburban metropolitan areas within the US. Parking lot data across four municipalities with variation in latitude, solar radiation, and population density was obtained, along with modeled annual electricity demand by sector. Parking lot area and potential generating capacity was calculated for canopy and carport designs using standard and premium efficiency panels, and annual electricity production was estimated using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s PVWatts Calculator. Premium efficiency canopy designs can meet ∼100% of demand in some large car dependent low to medium density municipalities. High density urban areas may receive marginal direct benefit from parking lot solar development within their boundaries. Dual-use of lands without any ecosystem or productive value can substantially contribute to renewable energy mixes to meet demands.
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