Multi-functional solar car parks

As the UK government seeks to include more renewable energy in the energy mix, solving problems associated with intermittent renewable generation will become more imperative due to the capacity issues in our electricity distribution network (ref. BEIS, 2017). Low carbon solutions which balance electricity supply and demand are required to achieve this, and multi-functional solar car parks can be part of this solution.

In March 2018, BRE National Solar Centre, in collaboration with FlexiSolar, launched a new good practice guide 'Multi-functional Solar Car Parks: A good practice guide for owners and developers'.

The guide defines a solar carport as being a shelter for one or more cars that incorporates solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. A solar car park is a parking facility consisting of multiple solar carports.

Multi-functional solar car parks can provide a number of revenue streams in addition to power sales and other benefits offered by a renewable energy source. However, when preparing a business case, consideration should also be given to operation, maintenance and security requirements, especially in areas susceptible to vandalism.

The new guide provides an outline of the key factors to be considered when developing a business case for a multi-functional car park project from planning through to delivery. It looks at multi-functional solar car parks that combine renewable energy generation with energy storage and EV charging points.

Funded by Innovate UK and launched at Ecobuild, the guide shows how multi-functional solar carports can add value to car parks by improving their economic and environmental performance.

To download the guide see here.

This article was originally published here on 12 March 2018 by BRE Buzz. It was written by Ana Paun.