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Cooler parking lot with 12 MW solar carport to give 100% renewable electricity to California Six Flags.
(pv-magazine-usa.com)
this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2023
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Think of all the space we have like this and how much we could do if we used it.
It doesn't even have to be paid for by the owner if they really didn't want to.
Large mall parking lot that doesn't want to pay? The utility could form an agreement with them. They save on land costs for generating the power and the customers get covered parking.
Anyone here flown into your own city on a plane? (It's more relatable when you know where you are and what you're looking at.) The acreage of commercial rooftops is stunning.
I'm not about to pretend I know the engineering involved in retrofitting rooftop solar, but it seems a no brainer. Even better for new construction, everything is easier.
And if so many homes around here are going solar, I would guess it's even more sensible for commercial buildings. (Caveat: Going to be more regulations, more expenses, for commercial approvals.)
I think part of the problem with large rooftop on commercial buildings is they aren't rated for the extra weight. So you could probably put some ontop of the mall, but not completely cover it
I don't think those solar panels actually weigh that much, especially when it's spread out over the entire roof... Like less than a pound a square foot extra? I'm no roof weight doctor tho.
I remember reading about it before. It was talking about warehouse roofs that were pretty thin, designed specifically for its current purpose, and fully covering it with solar was too much.
That won't be everywhere, but at least some places.
Got it, yeah. That makes sense. I'm sure some are super thin.
Convert the parking to housing and business. Build a nuclear reactor instead.