- President Emmanuel Macron recently promised to double the speed of issuing renewables permits and accelerating energy projects.
- Operators of parking lots with 80 to 400 units have a five-year deadline starting in July to install overhead photovoltaic systems on at least half of the surface.
Recently, The French Senate voted to introduce a landmark rule for increasing renewable energy production to input additional electricity capacity equivalent to ten nuclear reactors to the energy mix. By law, operators of parking lots with 80 to 400 units have a five-year deadline starting in July to install overhead photovoltaic systems on at least half of the surface. However, the law passed by the upper house of the French Parliament stipulates that more extensive parking facilities have only three years to fulfil the obligation.
Overhead solar power installations have multiple benefits, including creating shade and reducing energy spent on cooling vehicles. At the same time, they rarely harm the environment. Finally, it is helpful to have an onsite power source for charging electric vehicles and devices. However, this law won’t apply to parking lots for trucks of over 7.5 tons and in cases of technical or security barriers, architectural issues, densely shaded areas and cultural heritage sites.
President Emmanuel Macron recently promised to double the speed of issuing renewables permits and accelerating energy projects. However, France is the only European Union member state that fell behind in 2020 in meeting its green energy targets as it relies primarily on nuclear power. Also, Solar power arrays for land next to highways and railway tracks are in view. In addition, France is considering legislation that would spur the construction of solar power plants in places next to motorways and railway tracks and on certain agricultural land.