Should solar panels be installed over parking lots?

Canada should follow France’s lead and make it easier to install photovoltaic panels in shade structures above outdoor parking lots, says the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, calling it a “huge untapped potential.

If Toronto covered even half of the surface area of ​​parking lots on its territory with solar panels, the city could produce 5.8 TWh of electricity per year, the equivalent of 24% of the needs of Torontonians, says the environmental group in a recent report.

This is enough electricity to replace the natural gas plant in Portlandssays the president of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Jack Gibbons.

We could do without the polluting Portlands gas plant on Toronto’s waterfront, which is our biggest source of air pollution.

That means fewer asthma attacks and heart and lung diseaseshe adds.

It’s a chance to install solar panels without changing the functioning of the spaceadds environmental consultant and author of the report Heather McDiarmid.

The example of France

In France, new regulations require that all outdoor parking lots over 1500 m² (existing as of July 1, 2023) are equipped with photovoltaic panels covering at least half of their surface area, by July 1, 2028.

To help finance their investment, parking lot owners can resell excess electricity produced to the national grid.

The amusement park Disneyland Paris officially inaugurated last spring, after three years of work, what its partner Urbasolar describes as largest photovoltaic shade plant in Europe.

No less than 20 hectares of parking (11,200 spaces) are covered with 82,000 solar panels, capable of producing 36 GWh of electricity annually.

This corresponds to 17% of the electricity consumption of Disneyland Paris or the equivalent of the demand of a city of more than 17,000 inhabitants, indicates Urbasolar in a press release.

Too good to be true?

But what about in Canada, where electricity rates are much lower than in France and where winters are harsher?

Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario, has one of the largest solar shade farms in the country.

Inaugurated in 2019 after a year of construction, the system covers 125 parking spaces (approximately 4,600 m²). The $1.8 million project was funded with provincial assistance.

The solar panels, installed 3 m high, produce 415,000 kWh of electricity per year, or approximately 4% of the College’s consumption, indicates Steve Jankus, energy savings manager for the institution.

Mohawk College plans to be carbon neutral by 2035.

Thanks to the success of the project, we plan to install other solar panels, whether above parking lots or on the roof of our buildings.

Photovoltaic panels can be more expensive to install above a parking lot than on a roof because of the metal framing required, but they are easier to access at that height in the event of a problem, he says.

People like to park [sous les panneaux solaires]because their car is protected from rain, snow and heat in summerhe adds.

As for snow removal, Mr. Jankus explains that the panels do not interfere with the machinery, because they are high enough. There is no need to clear snow from their surface, he adds, given that snow accumulations are generally low and that the panels, whose angle is optimized for summer, generate very little electricity in the winter, he said.

A good ideamore…

This would be a good idea to considersays Jean-Thomas Bernard, professor specializing in energy issues at the University of Ottawa.

With solar panels above parking lots, electricity can be generated on site, he says, so no need for distant transmission lines. And no more cars boiling in summer, thanks to the shade of the panels.

However, he has this caveat.

The problem with solar panels is that they generate little electricity compared to the surface area occupied. So, it takes very large parking lots.

Another problem: the sun only shines during the day. There’s a lot of work going on [sur le stockage d’énergie]but we cannot say that the commercial solution is already available at a reasonable costnotes Professor Bernard.

The Ontario Clean Air Alliance is unable to quantify the cost of installing solar panels on top of large parking lots in Toronto.

Step One: Hydro Toronto should offer parking lot owners a fair rate for their clean solar electricitysays Mr. Gibbons.

Few commitments

When Environment and Climate Change Canada was asked if the country could follow in France’s footsteps, the Department replied that the question was more up to the provinces and cities.

Hydro Toronto se dit open for dialogue, but explains that more generous pricing for solar energy, as proposed by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, is a matter for the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and the government of Ontario.

The SIE responds that she is developing a new energy plan for the province and Toronto, but adds that the gas plant in Portlands plays a crucial role for the reliability of the city’s electricity system.

Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce promises to unveil a new energy conservation program next year. He adds that the provincial vision is also to help individuals, businesses and farmers to produce electricity for their own needswithout giving details for the moment.

Toronto has set a goal for 50% of its electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030, says the office of Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.

Installing photovoltaic panels helps Toronto achieve this goal.

No commitment, however, to making solar panels mandatory in Toronto. Instead, the City points out that it has several photovoltaic panel projects above parking lots, including at the emergency services headquarters, the northeast Scarborough community center and the arena. Gardens of Scarborough. Construction is expected to be completed next year.

For its part, Montreal is targeting the addition of trees as a priority. Increasing the canopy in these areas not only reduces the heat island effect, but also reduces impervious surfaces through the addition of planting spaceexplains spokesperson Hugo Bourgoin.

The possibility of installing solar panels above parking spaces is not excluded from Montreal’s strategies.

The Cadillac Fairview company, manager of shopping centers in the country, did not respond to our request for comment.

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec confirms that the parking lots of its properties do not have solar panels. A major issue is the maintenance of parking lots in winter in Canada… a problem they probably don’t have to deal with. Disneyland Parissays spokesperson Jean-Benoît Houde.