How to Identify the Best Sites for Solar Carports

The UK government is currently examining the potential of solar carports to help us become energy resilient, slash bills and help us reach Net Zero by 2030

After putting a call out for evidence earlier this year, it also announced it will provide £180 million to support the installation of solar carports in schools and hospitals to cut carbon emissions and bills.

Solspan’s own research has already revealed that UK businesses could save more than £1.4 billion and 570,000 tonnes of carbon over the next decade by covering car park spaces with solar carports.

The research also showed that businesses could charge an incredible 1.66 billion electric vehicles over ten years, massively boosting the UK’s charging capacity.

South, east or west are best

The best locations for solar carports in the UK are obviously those sites that receive the most unobstructed sunlight during the day.

So, the best areas to explore are those that face south, east or west.

Solar carport roofs are angled to optimise sunlight capture with a slope of five to twelve degrees for maximum energy generation.

Keep the shade away

Solar carports should be built away from trees or nearby structures such as other buildings to avoid any shade which can reduce energy generation efficiency. 

You need to identify any buildings or trees that may cause shade to fall on the area over a given day and time of year, for example, during the winter as the sun is lower and a tree or building will cast a longer shadow.

Size does matter

The bigger the car park, the more potential there is to generate energy, doubling, trebling or even quadrupling the space offered by a rooftop.

This means you can cover more space with solar carports and produce more energy for a business or public body

In addition, the larger the area covered, you can potentially have more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and batteries to store excess energy.

Good electrical infrastructure

However, it’s crucial that sites have access to decent electrical infrastructure and room for batteries to be stored in.

These need to be secure and vandal proof and located in an enclosure in the car park or at the back of buildings.

It’s also important to try and minimise the length of electrical cabling is possible to reduce cost and transmission loss.

Being a good neighbour

Class OA is a permitted development right regulation that allows companies to install solar canopies within off-street commercial parking.

The regulation means businesses no longer need planning permission for solar carports but they still need ‘prior approval’ from the local authority.

This allows them to check the location and design to make sure it’s not higher than four metres, is at least ten metres from homes and isn’t within an area next to a listed building or scheduled monument.

Are you ready to go renewable?

With the government cutting red tape around regulations and investing in solar carports in health and education, it’s a good time for businesses to consider making the switch too.

Solspan's analysis offers tailored recommendations for different industries including oil and gas, banking, insurance, and mining by considering regional sunlight hours.

For example, businesses in London receive approximately 1,526 hours of sunlight annually which enhance their operational efficiency based on this data.

Our Solar Savings Calculator gives you an instant return on investment (ROI) that includes cost and carbon savings and potential EV vehicle capacity and our experts can help you find the best location for solar carports.

Contact us for help with your next steps or for more information.