Mandatory solar panels over all major parking lots in France get the power of 10 nuclear power plants

Why we write about this topic:

Solar energy is essential in the energy transition. This French initiative is an important step towards a more sustainable society.

The parking lots of French supermarkets or town squares will look different in the coming years. There will be an obligation to install solar panels above them. Together they aim to produce as much energy as ten nuclear power plants.

The French work hard to use renewable energy sources as effectively as possible. The idea of covering large parking lots with solar panels in the near future was born within that trend. With that proposal, the French Senate recently agreed. “From July 1, 2023, operators of parking lots that have between 80 and 400 spaces will have five years to cover the lot with solar panels,” the Senate said in a press release.

The provision should encourage the development of solar energy production in France. This mainly applies to large commercial areas. According to the government, the measure’s potential could reach 11 gigawatts – equivalent to the power of 10 nuclear reactors. Initially, the bill applied to parking lots larger than 2,500 square meters. In the end, senators preferred to set a threshold in terms of the number of spaces rather than area. So this will apply to parking lots with more than 80 spaces, a threshold that includes more parking lots since 2,500 square feet equals about 100 spaces.

Dutch initiative to prevent overloading of the grid with hydrogen buffers and curtailment

The electricity grid is at its maximum capacity in more and more places. Especially in sparsely populated areas, there is too little margin. And that means that it is precisely these areas that are unsuitable for generating wind or solar energy on a large scale, while space would be suitable for it.

President Emmanuel Macron already came up with all kinds of plans in September to stimulate the use of renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy. He also wants to speed up the construction process of wind farms and solar panel fields.