ABSTRACT
Solar panels have found a new place in the sun—on parking lots surrounding commercial and industrial buildings, mounted on canopies providing shade for the parked cars. Because the solar potential of a parking lot depends on many factors, such as climate and topography, solar power requirements would differ among locations and land uses, just as parking requirements do. Cities can also offer developers who prefer not to install solar panels on their parking lots the option to pay for equivalent renewable energy or conservation measures elsewhere, perhaps at a school or other public building. Some states require electric utilities to obtain a specific share of their energy from renewable sources, and solar parking lots can help satisfy these requirements. Solar parking lots distributed throughout the city will also generate electricity right where it is used, reducing transmission losses on the power grid and helping to prevent power outages caused by overloaded transmission lines.
