With almost 10,000 NHS car parks, could solar carports provide additional income and help Trusts be more sustainable by reducing their reliance on the grid and cutting their carbon emissions?
With the NHS having almost 10,000 car parks, could solar car parks provide additional income, while simultaneously helping NHS Trusts meet the requirements set out in HTM 07-03 – NHS car-parking management: environment and sustainability? With the recent publication of an authoritative new guide on the subject, Jonny Williams MEng PhD, director of the BRE National Solar Centre, talks a look at the growing take-up of solar panels in car parks, and the resulting opportunities – including at hospitals and other healthcare facilities – to cut carbon emissions and generate valuable revenue.
Beyond providing space for people to park their cars, many car parks do not serve any other significant purpose. However, what if the space used for car parking could be put to other good uses? Solar car parks, with canopies of solar panels above the parking spaces, are commonly found in Europe and the US, and are now coming to the UK. Although not yet widespread on our shores – we currently have less than 10 examples at scale – they are likely to become established in the UK during the course of 2016. The technology can have multiple benefits, including:
When combined with battery storage, the benefits may extend to:
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