Solar canopies for car parks: will they really work in British weather?
The government’s latest energy plans aim to turn public car parks into clean energy hubs – but can solar really shine through the British drizzle? Vijay Tank, Chief Commercial Officer at E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions UK, takes a look under the canopy.
When you think of British car parks, sun trap probably isn’t the first phrase that springs to mind. This is a country where it can be summer, autumn and torrential rain – all before lunch.
But with the UK Government’s new Plan for Change shining a spotlight on solar canopies for car parks, there’s good reason to look up (quite literally). The idea is simple: turn the vast, underused spaces above supermarket and retail car parks into clean energy generators. It’s low-impact, high-visibility innovation – and it could make a huge impact for both motorists and businesses.
According to the Government, an 80-space car park fitted with solar panels could save around £28,000 a year in electricity bills, at the same time as helping drivers to access cheaper, cleaner EV charging. Businesses could even sell their excess energy back to the grid.
At E.ON, we’re already big believers in the power of solar – from rooftop panels to large-scale solar farms. In fact, we’ve installed thousands of solar panels across the UK and Europe – including our large-scale solar meadow project at Edinburgh Zoo and the UK’s largest roof mounted solar system at the Port of Liverpool, which will see up to 63,000 solar panels – the same as 18 football pitches – installed on 26 buildings across the site.
Done right, these solar canopies are multi-taskers – they generate clean energy, provide shade in summer, keep drivers dry in winter, and pair perfectly with EV chargers.
Of course, this won’t be a one-size-fits-all solution. Not every car park has the structural setup or demand to justify installation – and the upfront cost isn’t nothing. That’s why we welcome the Government’s call for evidence to help identify where solar carports can deliver the greatest impact and best value.
We’ll also need to help decision-makers to understand that modern solar tech doesn’t rely on cloudless skies. Even in the famously overcast UK, panels can still generate impressive returns. And in a time when energy security and cost-cutting are front and centre, that’s not something to park on the backburner.
So, to answer the original question – do solar panels actually work when it’s, well, not that sunny? Yes. We’re already using AI-powered forecasting technology that predicts solar power generation with remarkable accuracy, helping us to manage the grid more efficiently while cutting costs and reducing energy waste.
Will this project transform every car park overnight? No. But done right, it’s a bright idea that can deliver lasting benefits: cheaper charging for drivers, lower bills for businesses, and greener energy on the grid. If we want to meet our net zero goals and make energy smarter, we need solutions like this that think beyond the roof.