Empty Parking Lots and Solar Panels

FedEx Field, Washington D.C.

Rutgers University

28 Acres

“America is a nation of pavement”, says Chris Mooney writingfor the Washington Post. 35-50% of American cities surfaces are pavement. 40% of that is parking lot. There is actually a way to use these parking lots to generate energy. It’s called solar carports and it’s literally just installing solar panels as shades so cars park beneath a barrier of solar panels.

At Rutgers University, 28 acres of parking space can generate enough energy to power 1,000 homes. Solar carports can absorb heat that would normally get absorbed by the concrete, heating the surrounding area. It can also keep your car cool as your shopping so you don’t return to a roasting car. Using empty space that would normally go unused to generate solar energy seems like a great idea doesn’t it? Then why isn’t everyone doing it? 

As always it’s the $$$, the cost.

Right now in the U.S., the solar energy market remains relatively niche. Because carports are expensive, many companies rely on state incentives and grants to install carports. The California Solar Initiative has helped California to be the number 1 market for carports. In other areas of the U.S., companies such as Staples and Dow Jones & Co. have hopped on the wagon. 

Lincoln Financial Field

The Washington Redskins’ FedEx Field have installed gigantic solar panels covering over 800 parking spaces that generate 20% of the stadium’s power. In Philadelphia, the Lincoln Financial Field became the first stadium in the U.S. to have capability to generate all of its 

own electricity.

Solar carports sound like a no brainer for the environment, but right now businesses just don't see it a worthwhile investment.