my money is on Solar Parking lots.....

[Cryptoad]

imagine all the Wally Worlds Parking lots all across the nation shaded by solar panels!

[Travis_0004]

1. I don't really see the benefit over rooftop

I realize that cusomers and employees would love to have a cooler car, but there is a lot of infrastructure cost to build that you don't have with rooftop solar, and rooftop solar is better protected from damage.

[msongs]

2. mega-corporations and construction industry cant profit off of rooftop much nt

[user_name]

3. I could see it going either way, hopefully both both

You have issues either way, but both are vast fields of underutilized space. I would much rather see solar panels occupying these types of sites than occupying productive farmland. It would be great to have more shade in parking lots.

[Sherman A1]

4. Well,

savings on the weathering of the lot surface from rain, snow, ice and alike are a place to start. One can also look at the benefits of offering plug-in stations for electric cars which are going to show up eventually. Another benefit would be the reduced wear and tear on shopping carts that do suffer in the weather as well.

The increased amount of solar panels can be used to power the store or center thus reducing the needs from the grid. A covered lot is also a benefit to customers so that might be a reason to shop at store A vs store B.

[Divine Discontent]

5. we got us a thinker! good post! loved the point about the carts. I hate bad carts! lol

[Sherman A1]

8. Not really

43 years in Retail provides one with some experience.

[Orrex]

9. I doubt that they'd be set up like a full roof

Full-roof designs would simply transfer the weathering (and its cost) from the asphalt surface to the much more expensive solar panels. More likely they'd be built in rows over the actual parking slots, meaning that the lot surface would still require maintenance as well.

Also, a full roof would demand lighting and (probably) additional security.


Don't get me wrong--I love the idea, but it brings its own problems that would have to be solved.

[Sherman A1]

10. Perhaps or perhaps not

Yes, the weathering would be transferred without any doubt, it may be at sometime more efficient to use that space for power generation, it may not, time and designs will tell.

[Orrex]

12. And then we'll have people worried that we'll use up all of the sun

In the same way that they currently warn about turbines using up all of the wind.

[Statistical]

7. Roof are good as well but ...

there is a lot of surface area devoted to parking. Not all architecture is well suited for solar panels but essentially all parking lots are.

[Brother Buzz]

6. My Podunk city parking lots went solar a couple of years

And in California's hot Central Valley, the shaded parking lots are well received. Somewhere, there must be an electrical meter that is running backward, but I haven't found it yet.

[MicaelS]

11. Great idea except for

Those areas of the country that have lots of snow or severe weather. When you have to factor in the costs of snow / ice loading like in the north and northeast, and the problems of high winds and hail damage like we frequently have in Texas, it might not be cost effective.