Energy secretary Ed Miliband has set out plan to boost renewable energy supply (Image: Getty/RenEnergy)
Nearly 630,000 parking spaces are suitable for installing solar carports which could power 404,000 homes each year, energy experts have said.
These solar canopies that sit above parking spaces could allow them to provide energy to the adjoining business as well as for electric vehicle charging.
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The 629,000 spaces currently available in hospital, business, university, sports centre and airport car parks could produce over 1.4GW
Damian Baker, managing director of solar firm RenEnergy, said: “Energy security and cost has been a key concern for businesses and the general public for a number of years now. If we are going to improve our energy security across the UK and reduce carbon emissions in line with targets, we must look at all of the options available.
“There is untapped power waiting for businesses across the UK in their car parks. They could harness enough energy to cover their electricity needs and even sell energy back to the grid, paying for their investment in the process. Without needing to gain planning or landowner permission, harnessing the power of solar carports is truly an energy open goal for businesses in the UK.”
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Train stations, service stations, supermarkets and retail parks could also be suitable for solar carports, freeing up fields in the countryside for farmers to produce food.
The installation of solar panels on car parks is already mandatory in a number of European countries, including new car parks in Slovenia and France for all those with more than 80 spaces.
Campaigners hope the same could be a reality in the UK.
Meanwhile Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham, is using his Private Members Bill to try to get solar panels installed on newly built houses as a standard practice,
The New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill - aka, the ‘Sunshine Bill’ - has its second reading in the Commons on Friday.
Some 82% of respondents to a YouGov poll for the countryside charity CPRE supported rooftop solar on new buildings.
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Roger Mortlock, CPRE chief executive, said: “Rooftop solar is a common-sense solution to our energy needs that helps make the best use of our finite supply of land. That’s why the Sunshine Bill is such an exciting opportunity to change how the UK generates energy.’
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“It's unbelievable that it isn't already a requirement for solar panels be fitted as standard on all new homes.
“The time for change has come. The government must set a target for generating at least 60% of the UK’s solar energy from rooftops and make it easier and cheaper to install panels on existing homes and commercial buildings.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband in December said his “clean power 2030” plan included measures to boost the UK’s renewable energy supply such as building canopies of solar panels on outdoor car parks.