Grace Smith | December 6, 2022

Parking lots where electric vehicles charge is vital in climate change efforts and carbon reduction. A law in France, which was approved in November, now requires parking lots with 80 or more spaces to have solar panels covering the cars. With lots with over 400 cars have three years to ensure half of their lot is covered in solar panels. 

All around the United States, solar and renewable energy are being put to use, or a plan is in action. A target in California created solar panel carports or automobile shelters. In addition, Home Depot hopes to run just on renewable energy by 2030, and Walmart hopes to do the same by 2040. 

“You have a lot of significant companies that have stepped up and made commitments to renewable energy and similar things with local governments and institutions. So, there’s no doubt that that level of investment has accelerated the development of technology, the deployment of more cost-effective solar,” Bill Abolt, vice president and lead of energy business for infrastructure consulting firm AECOM, told CNBC. 

Per CNBC, solar carports and rooftops are currently the main sources of solar energy in the real estate market. To ensure solar energy continues in the right direction, state governments are incentivizing solar energy, including the 2018 Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, and the Maryland Energy Administration Solar Canopy Grant Program. This program provides funding to encourage the use of carports and parking garages. The program has given $250,000 to each solar carport project to continue promoting the use of solar energy in parking lots.