{{Short description|Arrays on structures built over land with other uses}} {{multiple image | align = right | total_width = 450 | image1 = Solar canopy Winona State 01.jpg | caption1 = | image2 = Solar canopy.webp | footer = Solar canopy in parking lot at WSU in Minnesota. }} [[File:1Wiata fotowoltaika Carport.Solar.jpg|thumb|Carport solar canopy]] '''Solar canopies''' are solar arrays installed on canopies, which could be a parking lot canopy, carport, gazebo, Pergola, or patio cover.
==Solar canopy parking lots== {{See also|Green parking lot}} [[File:Solar canopy parking ramp Gundersen Hospital.jpg|thumb|Solar canopy parking ramp Gundersen Hospital]] The mounting structure makes solar canopy parking lots 50% to twice as expensive to build as traditional grass field solar arrays, but as distributed energy resources they avoid transmission congestion and losses.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeaQUhAOdtk |title=How to fight climate change with parking lots |website=YouTube |date=27 September 2023 |access-date=2024-01-03 |archive-date=2024-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103071538/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeaQUhAOdtk |url-status=live }}</ref> The canopies can protect the cars and asphalt from extreme weather.
A French law passed in 2023 will require parking lots larger than {{Convert|50000|sqft|m2}} to build solar canopies covering half their area. This could result in installed capacity of 6.75–11.25 gigawatts, at a cost of $8.7–14.6 billion.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Birnbaum |first=Michael |date=2023-02-08 |title=New French law will blanket parking lots with solar panels |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/02/06/france-solar-parking-lots/ |access-date=2024-01-03 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=2023-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306093420/https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/02/06/france-solar-parking-lots/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2022, the world's largest solar car park canopy opened in the Netherlands with 35 MW capacity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-11 |title=Largest solar car park in the world opens at Dutch music festival |url=https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/05/11/largest-solar-car-park-in-the-world-opens-at-famous-dutch-festival |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=euronews |archive-date=2023-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230812161622/https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/05/11/largest-solar-car-park-in-the-world-opens-at-famous-dutch-festival |url-status=live }}</ref> A 17 MW car park canopy opened in Germany in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Enkhardt |first=Sandra |date=2025-11-26 |title=German developer commissions nation’s largest solar carport |url=https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/11/26/germanys-largest-pv-carport-comes-online/ |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=pv magazine International |language=en-US}}</ref>
Rutgers University built 14.5 MW of solar canopies on parking lots in 2023, which will generate 18 GWh annually, in addition to the 32-acre 8.8 MW solar canopy parking lot already installed there in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Michelle |date=2023-06-21 |title=Rutgers University is still a trailblazer in parking lot solar |url=https://electrek.co/2023/06/21/rutgers-university-parking-lot-solar/ |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=Electrek |archive-date=2023-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630180734/https://electrek.co/2023/06/21/rutgers-university-parking-lot-solar/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
If Walmart Supercenters installed Solar canopies on their 3,500+ parking lots it would generate 11.1 gigawatts of solar power nameplate capacity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Putting Solar Canopies on Parking Lots Is a Smart Green Move |url=https://e360.yale.edu/features/putting-solar-panels-atop-parking-lots-a-green-energy-solution |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=Yale E360 |archive-date=2024-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101131044/https://e360.yale.edu/features/putting-solar-panels-atop-parking-lots-a-green-energy-solution |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Deshmukh |first1=Swaraj Sanjay |last2=Pearce |first2=Joshua M. |date=2021-05-01 |title=Electric vehicle charging potential from retail parking lot solar photovoltaic awnings |url=https://research.aalto.fi/files/55239913/ELEC_Pearce_Electric_vehicle_charging_potential.pdf |journal=Renewable Energy |volume=169 |pages=608–617 |doi=10.1016/j.renene.2021.01.068 |bibcode=2021REne..169..608D |issn=0960-1481}}</ref>
Many canopy projects may use the community solar mechanism for electricity sales.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last=Rudge |first=Kieren |date=2021-12-01 |title=The potential for community solar in Connecticut: A geospatial analysis of solar canopy siting on parking lots |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038092X2100894X |journal=Solar Energy |volume=230 |pages=635–644 |bibcode=2021SoEn..230..635R |doi=10.1016/j.solener.2021.10.038 |issn=0038-092X |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
==Gazebos== At parks or backyard patios, gazebos can be installed as a solar canopy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-14 |title=Are solar canopies and carports worth it? |url=https://www.solarreviews.com/content/blog/are-solar-canopies-worth-it |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=Solar Reviews }}</ref> Some studies have looked into the development solar gazebos that rotate in order to follow sunlight as another option for solar energy. These solar panels operate on a rotating roof gazebo system which allows the solar panels to turn towards the sun as it moves throughout the day.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Kiray |first=Vedat |chapter=Introduction of a System Developed for Increasing the Use of Solar Energy in the Residential Areas "A Rotating Roof Gazebo System" |date=December 2019 |title=2019 15th International Conference on Electronics, Computer and Computation (ICECCO) |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1109/ICECCO48375.2019.9247074|isbn=978-1-7281-5160-1 }}</ref> This allows for the solar panels to have direct sunlight throughout most of the day unlike stationary solar panels that will only receive full sunlight for a limited period of time. Due to this, rotating solar gazebos can produce a higher percent of solar energy.<ref name=":12" />[[File:Thing film solar on standing seam metal roof.webp|thumb|center|Thin film solar on standing seam metal roof gazebo 3D sketch]]
== Rooftop canopies == Small rooftops and rooftop decks can support solar canopy structures that share space with usable areas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ludt |first=Billy |date=2026-01-14 |title=Solar canopies turn flat city rooftops into multi-use home power plants |url=https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2026/01/solar-canopies-turn-flat-city-rooftops-into-multi-use-home-power-plants/ |access-date=2026-01-15 |website=Solar Power World |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Electric vehicle charging stations with solar canopies== Some Tesla Supercharger stations have solar canopies installed to protect drivers and vehicles from the elements while recharging. Tesla Megapacks are also installed at some of these locations to store that energy locally.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/first-known-tesla-v4-supercharger-with-solar-panels-and-megapack-is-coming-to-arizona | title=First Known Tesla V4 Supercharger with Solar Panels & Megapack is Coming to Arizona }}</ref> [[File:Tesla charging station with solar collector trimmed.jpeg|thumb|center|One of the earliest supercharger stations in the United States, located in Lebec, California, has a solar canopy from Tesla Energy.]]
==See also== * Solar landfill * Balcony solar power
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Parking Category:Sustainable urban planning Category:Parking facilities Category:Solar power Category:Photovoltaics Category:Sustainability Category:Environmentalism Category:Economics of sustainability Category:Environmental terminology Category:Human–environment interaction