France to require solar panels on parking lots
France wants to stimulate the production of clean energy and to this end the Senate has approved a bill that will make it compulsory to install photovoltaic panels on all outdoor parking lots with more than 80 parking spaces.
The measure will come into force on July 1, 2023, but existing facilities will have a moratorium to adapt to the new regulations. Parking facilities with more than 400 spaces will have three years of grace and those between 80 and 400, five.
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All parking lots with more than 80 spaces will be obliged to cover at least half of their surface area with solar panels. The French government estimates that this will generate 11 gigawatts of electricity, equivalent to the annual output of a dozen nuclear power plants.
The government’s original proposal did not speak of parking spaces, but set the limit at 2,500 square meters, equivalent to a hundred vehicles. The Senate finally decided to count individual parking spaces.
There are a number of exceptions, such as parking lots for heavy vehicles or those that are close to remarkable locations and cannot be adapted without harming their surroundings.
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The Senate also voted against an amendment proposing to establish an extraordinary moratorium in the event of a shortage of photovoltaic panels.
French President Emmanuel Macron has set a goal for France to increase its solar energy production tenfold by 2050, exceeding 100 gigawatts per year. He also wants to boost 50 offshore wind farms to generate another 40 gigawatts.
This also involves cutting red tape, as it currently takes five years to start up a solar farm, seven years for an onshore wind farm and ten years for an offshore wind farm.
