Covering large parking lots with solar panels is an idea that goes back decades but in America at least it’s an idea that has never really taken off.
What is the reason for that? Is it due to the overall cost or is there something else that keeps Walmart, Target, Costco, Sams Club, Malls, etc. from covering their parking lots with these panels and selling the power?
Solar panels are very fragile; the weight of a car driving over them every day would cause them to break really quickly, not too mention the layer of rubber and dirt that will accumulate on them. I imagine the cost of installing and replacing them is also much higher than laying down a regular road surfice.
If they wanted to invest heavily in solar panels, why wouldn’t they just either put them on top of the shop building itself, or build a lightweight roof over the parking lot and put them on that?
Pretty sure they mean cover as in like a roof.
Ah, right. My bad. For some reason my head was stuck on those solar roadway thingies.