The French government has issued a decree specifying the solar obligation on parking lots that has been in force since 2023 and has issued penalties. The regulations stipulate that all parking lots with a size of 1,500 square meters or more must be at least half covered with solar panels.
Calculating the area
When calculating the area, not only the parking spaces are taken into account, but also traffic routes and other areas that are part of the parking lot. Only green areas, storage areas and logistics, loading and unloading areas are excluded. Areas in which vehicles with dangerous goods are parked are also not considered to be parking spaces.
If there are several parking spaces next to each other, the respective operators can agree that the joint parking area is counted as a whole. This means that at least half of this joint parking area must be covered by a solar roof and not each area individually.
Solar roofs provide shade and solar power
Exceptions regulated
The solar obligation does not apply if the technical or geological requirements are not met or if there are conservation reasons to the contrary. The solar obligation may also be waived if there is too much shade from trees or if the solar radiation is too low to operate a photovoltaic system economically. The parking lot operator must prove that the installation of a solar system is impossible or uneconomical. Parking lots exclusively used for vehicles with a total weight of more than 3.5 tons are also currently exempt.
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Implementation by 2028 at the latest
This regulation has been in force since July 1, 2023, with transitional periods for smaller parking lots. For example, parking lots with an area of at least 10,000 square meters must be equipped with a solar system by 1 July 2026 at the latest. For parking spaces between 1,500 and 10,000 square meters in size, compliance with the solar obligation has been set for 1 July 2028. However, the departments can still set separate transitional periods.
Penalties loom
If parking lot operators do not comply with the solar obligation, they face drastic penalties. For example, operators of parking spaces with a size of up to 10,000 square meters must expect to pay a fine of up to 20,000 euros per year. Larger parking lots can be fined up to 40,000 euros per year until the solar obligation is implemented.
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The new decree also contains regulations for cases in which the parking lot operator passes on the installation of the solar system to a third party, for example through a tender, but the third party does not implement the order or does so too late. All specific regulations are set out in Decree 2024-1023, which can be viewed online in the Official Journal of the French Republic. (su)
