New York City turns 8,500 parking acres into solar panels

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Solar panels and wind turbines seem like a nuisance to some people. They don't mind renewable energy in general, they just don't like seeing it. Don't install solar panels on land under crops, even if it helps farmers pay their bills so they can keep working. Don't install wind turbines wherever they can be seen by the naked eye. The world may be facing an existential tipping point, but that doesn't mean people should be forced to look at the ugliness. God forbid!

All the hype and NIMBY movement around renewable energy

Reminds me a little'. "When I was a young man, I was reckless. Bought a fiddle for 18p. The only tune I could play was 'far over the hills and very, very far away'." Many critics of renewable energy would prefer it to be in a similarly remote location. If you don't understand this sly humor, it might be worth checking to see if your sensitivity to humor was removed as a child!

One place where almost everyone agrees to install solar panels

are the roofs over parking lots. Last week, the New York City Council passed a zoning initiative called "City Yes for Carbon Neutrality," which they say will move the city closer to a more equitable and sustainable''lifestyle, easing restrictions on solar development.

"New York City is a 'city of yes'

and this historic proposal will pave the way for a more sustainable future," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "By modernizing our city's zoning, we have taken a bold step forward in the fight against climate change by providing cleaner air, lower energy costs, smarter waste management, and better access to electric vehicle technology for New Yorkers across the city. "

New building code removes restrictions

on installing solar panels on rooftops, which previously hindered clean energy development. Thanks to the repeal of regulations, large swaths of real estate previously unsuitable for solar energy''will become affordable - in some cases, the square footage on a single roof can double. This will add millions of additional kilowatt hours of clean electricity to the city's power supply over the lifetime of these systems.

In addition, the new law will allow solar canopies to be installed over parking lots.

totaling 8,500 acres, creating enough space for hundreds of additional megawatts of clean energy - enough to power tens of thousands of homes and apartments in New York City. The provisions of the law also offer benefits to property owners in the city. Reduced utility costs associated with solar panel installation will increase revenues and value''real estate.

Sharing the importance of passing the City of 'yes' legislation

Founder and Executive Director of Brooklyn SolarWorks T.R. Ludwig told Solar Power World, "This is a historic moment in New York City's work to advance green technology and support carbon neutrality. The potential of solar energy will now be fully realized as a renewable energy source for all New Yorkers. With the removal of restrictions that prevented the installation of solar panels on many homes, thousands of New Yorkers will be able to enjoy the benefits of solar energy. We applaud Measure Adams and the City Council for taking a perfect step forward toward a greener and more energy efficient future.".

In his statement, Deputy''problem'.

Earlier this year, France passed a new law

which also promotes the installation of solar canopies over parking lots. The law stipulates that large parking lots must be covered with solar awnings on 50% of their surface area.

My colleague Zachary Shahan emphasizes that most parking lot owners welcome the opportunity to generate new revenue''from their parking facilities and can choose to cover their facilities with more than 50% solar panels to maximize business opportunities. According to one analysis, the requirement could add up to 8% of France's existing capacity to the grid - the equivalent of 10 nuclear power plants.

"If half of France's parking lots were covered with solar panels, they would have an installed capacity of 6.75 to 11.25 gigawatts and costs of $8.7 billion to $14.6 billion, according to an official analysis of the legislation," the Washington Post wrote. "France's 56 nuclear power plants have a capacity of a little more than 1 gigawatt on average, and the cost of building one of them, Flamanville, is estimated at $14 billion - about the same as the total''solar energy expansion'.

In addition to requiring solar carports over parking lots, the new law reportedly "makes it easier to build solar panels along highways and removes restrictions on wind power." France, long a passionate advocate of fighting climate change, seems to have realized that its nuclear power fleet is a brake or problem now, and that new nuclear power plants are unnecessarily expensive. "There is a paradox. While our electricity generation is almost carbon neutral in Europe, we are still lagging behind in the development of renewable energy. This law aims to resolve this contradiction," Damien Adam, a French politician, said during the adoption''law.

San Diego is also an excellent candidate for installing solar canopies over parking lots due to the abundance of sunlight and the large number of parking lots. An added benefit is that cars parked under the canopy stay cool in hot climates like Southern California. The Golden State is also considering installing solar panels along roads and at intersections where land is owned by the state and NIMBY concerns are minimal. Installing solar panels where no one objects to them is sound policy.

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