Solar canopies and electric vehicle charging

Introduction

In December last year, the government published the Clean Power Action Plan, setting out the expansion of renewable technologies required to achieve the 2030 ambition. The Plan calls for the rapid acceleration of solar PV deployment, from around 18GW  at present to at least 45-47GW by 2030.

In October 2024, government relaunched the Solar Taskforce, which brought together industry and government, to discuss the actions required to accelerate solar deployment in line with this plan. Its recommendations, in the form of a Solar Roadmap, set out a pathway to meeting (or, subject to system need, even exceeding) this ambition by 2030. They also chart a course for significant further growth by 2035. Its recommendations include actions across various areas, including electricity networks, rooftop solar, skills, supply chains, and planning.

As part of the Clean Power Action Plan, the government committed to gathering evidence about the potential for solar canopies in car parks to contribute to our solar generation ambition. The potential for solar canopies on car parks lies in leveraging their vast, under-utilised surface area to contribute meaningfully to the UK’s renewable energy generation capacity. By increasing deployment of solar canopies on car parks, these spaces could be converted into solar energy hubs, including via installation of EV charge points, thus improving the productivity of the land. Increasing renewable generation reduces greenhouse gas emissions, supports the government’s decarbonisation commitments, and may help to address energy security challenges. By being situated close to existing centres of electricity demand, car parks have the potential to reduce the external electricity demand (and bills) of those who host them. Solar canopies offer a dual use of the land used for car parks and can provide additional revenue through the sale of any electricity not used on-site. It’s therefore possible that under-deployment of solar canopies on car parks has resulted in under-utilisation of the land.

However, fully understanding the potential benefits of solar canopies on car parks, fully considering the impact on businesses and motorists, and addressing ownership structures and infrastructural limitations, will require overcoming significant evidence gaps.

Scope of the Call for Evidence

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is seeking evidence and feedback on a proposal to mandate the introduction of solar canopies on new outdoor car parks and explore opportunities for deployment on existing car parks above a certain size; this includes car parks in both public and private ownership. We are considering, subject to this call for evidence, whether multi-storey car parks and residential car parks should be in scope. We also welcome evidence and feedback on other ways that government action could increase the deployment of solar canopies on outdoor car parks.

This call for evidence specifically aims to:

1. Understand the potential benefits, feasibility, costs of the proposal, as well as the impacts it would have on businesses, the public sector, consumers, the energy system, and the environment.
2. Gather evidence on the cost implications and feasibility of the proposal.
3. Identify the car park owners/operators, land owners or public sector stakeholders and size of car park that should be in scope of the proposal.
4. Understand the ownership structures for outdoor car parks and what the equity impacts would be.
5. Identify potential barriers to implementation, including financial, technological and contractual ones, explore possible solutions, and understand whether there is a role for government in overcoming these.

This call for evidence is seeking responses from motorists, owners, and operators who plan to own or operate new car parks, including multi-storey and residential ones. It also seeks input from owners, operators and leaseholders of existing car parks, to explore opportunities for deployment. Evidence gathered will inform the potential design and implementation of the proposal. This includes timelines, exemptions, and support mechanisms.

Background – Car Parks

There is a huge variety of car parking types across the UK, including surface car parks, in industrial areas, residential streets, airport roads and the like. Given the diversity, there is a lack of up-to-date, compiled statistics on the exact number of sites and individual spaces managed. However, the Private Parking Code estimates there to be around 40,000-50,000 private car parking sites across Great Britain.

Focussing on organised parking sites, there are over 200 private parking operators, divided into two trade associations: the British Parking Association (BPA), which covers around 60% of the operators, and the International Parking Community (IPC), which covers the remaining 40%.  In 2022, the Accredited Trade Associations (ATAs) estimated that, of the 43,000 private sites, the 66% had fewer than 50 parking spaces, whilst only 15% and 16% had between 50-99 and 100-499 spaces respectively. 3% had more than 500 spaces. There are an additional 20,000 council-run sites, which each council lists on its website, including a breakdown of spaces and type.

The market is so varied that is difficult to assess exactly how many sites belong to each different private ownership models. In some cases, car parks are owned and managed by the same firm (e.g. NCP). Many are owned and managed by separate firms (e.g. ParkingEye manage car parks owned by various other companies). Typically, there is no management fee for operators to manage car parks.

Geographically, car parks are likely to be unevenly distributed across urban and rural areas. Most are in urban areas, due to higher population densities and associated demand. However, we expect suburban and rural car parks to have larger surface areas, potentially making them attractive for high-capacity solar installations.

To help give context and a reference point for answering, we have provided initial estimates of the potential costs and benefits arising from the installation of solar canopies on an illustrative 80-space car park. A full methodology has been provided in Annex C, and we are seeking comment on the robustness and assumptions underpinning these estimates as part of this call for evidence.

Engagement across government and advocacy groups has highlighted the complicated nature of car park ownership within the UK. The government would therefore welcome evidence to understand the scale and ownership structures of parking in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Timescale

The call for evidence will be open for responses until 18th June 2025. During this period, DESNZ will also engage with certain stakeholders.

Questions

To analyse and interpret responses most effectively, it is helpful for us to identify the type of stakeholders responding and their location within England, Wales and Northern Ireland.