Solar parking spaces as the key to achieving the German climate goals

Parking is power plant: photovoltaics in parking spaces as a key technology

The installation of photovoltaic systems in parking spaces offers enormous potential to increase renewable energy generation in Germany and could make a significant contribution to achieving the climate goals. A detailed analysis shows that Parkplatz-PV represents a previously largely unused potential that can be opened up without additional surface consumption.

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• The Renaissance of the parking lot: solar parking spaces as the key component of the energy transition in Germany, France and the EU

The potential of parking space photovoltaics in Germany

Germany has a considerable parking space that could be used for solar energy production. According to calculations by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), the total area of ​​parking spaces in Germany is around 47,060 hectares with approximately 360,555 vehicle parking spaces. These areas represent a technical potential that has so far hardly been used.

With a comprehensive installation of PV systems on these parking spaces, there is a technical area potential of 284 square kilometers, which corresponds to a technical performance potential of 59 gigawatt peak (GWP). With a specific yield of 930 kWh/KWP per year, 54,870 GWh of electricity could be generated. This amount of energy would be sufficient to cover the annual electricity requirement of over 17.2 million households if you use an average electricity consumption of 3,190 kWh per household.

Contribution to the German climate goals

The Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) specifies that an installed PV output of 215 GW must be achieved by 2030. With the determined 59 GWP performance potential, the parking lot PV could cover almost a quarter of this goal alone. Some sources even assume that a third of the PV performance sought for 2030 could theoretically be covered with the existing areas of the parking spaces.

The fact that this potential development can be realized without additional space consumption is particularly noteworthy, since it is already sealed areas. This is a decisive advantage in a country in which surface shortages increasingly becomes a problem.

Current status and degree of use

Despite the enormous potential, a query in the market master data register shows that only a very small part of the possible potential has been used with around three megawatts of installed performance. This is in the strong contrast to the general photovoltaic expansion in Germany: At the end of 2024, around 4.75 million solar systems with a total output of 99 GW were installed, which had a share of 14.5% in German power generation.

In 2024, photovoltaic systems with an output of 15.9 gigawatts were reinstalled, which shows that the expansion of photovoltaics has increased significantly overall. This trend could also benefit the Parkplatz-PV car park.

Advantages and synergies of parking space photovoltaics

Parkplatz-PV offers numerous advantages that go beyond pure power generation:

Multiple use of already sealed areas

A central advantage of the parking lot PV is the use of already sealed areas. In contrast to classic solar parks, no additional areas are used, which avoids space competitions, especially with agriculture, and reduces the use of areas outdoors.

Protection and comfort for vehicles

The PV modules over parking spaces provide shade and protect the vehicles and the sealed areas from overheating and weather influences. This offers additional comfort for users and can extend the lifespan of the vehicles and parking space.

Synergies with electromobility

Parkplatz-PV offers ideal conditions for combination with charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The energy generated on site can be used directly to load electric vehicles, which promotes the use of renewable energies in the transport sector and contributes to reducing CO2 emissions.

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• Did you know? Agri-PV has developed from the technology for solar parking spaces with partially transparent solar modules

Legal framework and economy

Enjoyment and remuneration

Parking PV has been eligible since the amendment of the EEG 2023, provided that the systems have been put into operation after January 1, 2023. The solar systems are remunerated with 7 ct/kWh like PV open space systems. Remuneration applies to both public and non-public areas.

Land -specific regulations

Several federal states have already introduced PV obligations for new parking spaces. In Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia, there has been a PV obligation for new parking spaces from 35 parking spaces since the beginning of 2022. Rhineland-Palatinate, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein moved in at the beginning of 2023, with the minimum number of parking spaces varied between 50 and 100.

Economy and amortization

The investment costs for installing a PV system in parking spaces are usually compensated for within eight to twelve years by saved electricity costs and feed-in tariffs. After that, the systems generate profits, while they reliably produce electricity for many more years.

Exemplary projects

National lighthouse projects

The largest PV parking lot in Germany is currently being built at the Mosolf Group in its logistics center in Rackwitz, Saxony. On an area of ​​nine hectares, a system with 35,000 solar modules and a top capacity of 16 MW is built, which is roofed around 6,000 car parking spaces. This system will generate 40 times more electricity than the company consumes itself.

Another large project was realized at Düsseldorf Weeze Airport, where a four MW solar system was installed on 66 carports, which covered 1,350 parking spaces. The electricity generated is used directly from the airport.

International pioneer

The largest parking lot PV system worldwide is located in Biddinghuizen in the Netherlands. The 35 MW solar carport with 90,000 solar panels reconsidered 15,000 parking spaces on an event area, on which several large music festivals take place every year. The electricity generated there replaces the previous use of environmental generators.

Parkplatz-PV: underestimated potential for the energy transition in Germany

Parkplatz-PV offers enormous, previously largely unused potential to increase solar power generation in Germany. With a technical performance potential of 59 GWP, almost a quarter of the German PV target for 2030 could be realized on already sealed areas. This would not only contribute to the achievement of the climate goals, but also bring numerous synergy effects, especially in the area of ​​electromobility.

The increasing regulatory requirements and funding opportunities as well as the increasing economy are likely to lead to an increased expansion of the parking space PV in the coming years. In view of the ambitious climate goals in Germany and the limited space availability, parking space PV represents a promising option to advance the necessary expansion of renewable energies without using additional areas.

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