Solar carport requirement for new parking spaces in BaWü – Baden-Württemberg – BW, private and company parking spaces, etc.

Published on: March 15, 2021 / Update from: September 6, 2022 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

The climate protection law in Baden-Württemberg, amended in mid-October 2020, introduces, among other things, an obligation to install solar systems for new parking spaces.

Solar carport is mandatory for new parking spaces in Baden-Württemberg – Image: Xpert.Digital

Section 8b imposes an obligation to install photovoltaic systems on parking areas. When building a new open parking space suitable for solar use with more than 35 parking spaces for motor vehicles, a photovoltaic system must be installed over the parking space suitable for solar use if the application for a building permit is received by the responsible building law authority from January 1, 2022.

Following a change in the law on October 15, 2021, the solar requirement for open parking spaces was reduced from 75 to 35. This means that the solar obligation for open parking spaces applies in Baden-Württemberg from 35 parking spaces.

Additional to:

• Solar system or photovoltaic systems are mandatory in Baden-Württemberg

What are open parking spaces?

This does not mean public parking spaces. Open parking spaces are usually:

• A storage area open on the side walls, not a barn or shed or similar.
• Carports, covered parking spaces
• Uncovered parking spaces
• Parking available on a property
• Outdoor parking spaces

Why solar carports?

Section 8b defines that “ a photovoltaic system must be installed above the parking space suitable for solar use There is no alternative as with the requirement for photovoltaic systems for new non-residential buildings. Photovoltaic systems cannot be installed as a substitute on other outdoor areas or in their immediate surroundings and the area used as a result cannot be counted towards the fulfillment of the obligation. Also, no suitable space can be leased to a third party.

In short, a solar carport is a free-standing, covered parking space (carport, literally “car port”) for cars with a covered solar or photovoltaic system.

The regulations for the construction and operation of carports are usually dealt with in the garage regulations of the states. There they are referred to as “open garages”. According to the Model Garage Ordinance (M-GarVO), they have non-lockable openings leading directly to the outside, which in total are at least 1/3 of the total area of ​​the surrounding walls. Fire protection requirements are generally not applicable. In contrast to a garage, only point foundations and no linear or surface foundations are required. In Germany, according to the regulations in force since 2014, manufacturer qualification according to DIN EN 1090 must be proven.

As a rule, a carport is made of wood, steel or aluminum, but there are also plastic versions. Carports have a flat roof, higher quality versions have more complex constructions such as a gable roof, hipped roof or a barrel roof. A carport can be open on all sides, although elements are also available with which individual segments can be completely or partially closed. These elements can be made of sheet steel, wood, glass, WPC panels (wood-plastic composite), HPL panels (high-pressure laminates) or polycarbonate double-wall panels. In contrast to the garage, the carport is open at least on one side. A common variant of roof covering is corrugated metal, trapezoidal metal or their transparent forms, corrugated profile light panels or trapezoidal panels. Open carports without a roof are usually used as a visual border for outdoor parking spaces in order to highlight them from surrounding open spaces. The free areas of the roof are increasingly being used for solar systems and extensive green roofs.

Suitable for:

• More green electricity from solar carports – the solar filling station of the future
• Solar carports with electricity storage as solar charging stations for electric cars

Are there exceptions to the requirement for a solar system for new parking spaces?

• Parking spaces located directly along public roads are exempt from this obligation.
• The responsible building law authorities can grant exceptions, particularly for urban planning reasons.

Where is the responsible building law authority?

• Depending on the location in which the construction project is located, the responsible building law authority is the municipality/city administration or the district office.

Which solar carport system is recommended?

“There are already many good approaches. But nothing is like the HELIOS carport system from T.Werk GmbH from Ellzee. It is suitable for individual solar carports as well as for large company or public parking spaces, can be used flexibly as an additional solar charging station and, above all, can be planned.

System seems to be program at T.Werk. As with all of its products, T.Werk attaches great importance to high quality, quick assembly and flexible applicability, which pays off in the end. This is also the case with the HELIOS carport from T.Werk, where planning security is the top priority, avoiding expensive corrections and retrofitting.”

More about it here:

• More green electricity from solar carports – the solar filling station of the future

With Xpert.Solar we offer consulting services for companies that are planning a photovoltaic system for a flat or pitched roof - even without roof penetration!

• Plan photovoltaics for warehouses, commercial halls and industrial halls
• Industrial plant: Plan a photovoltaic open-air system or open-space system
• Plan solar systems with photovoltaic solutions for freight forwarding and contract logistics
• B2B solar systems and photovoltaic solutions & advice

• Planning solar carports

Why Xpert.Solar ?

Xpert.Solar is a project from Xpert.Digital. We have many years of experience in supporting and advising on storage solutions and in logistics optimization, which we bundle in a large network Xpert.Plus With Xpert.Solar we combine the same know-how in the areas of photovoltaics and renewable energies.

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Konrad Wolfenstein

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