Insights
Guides for deciding on a solar carport project.
Regulation, engineering, economics and use cases: clear guides written by SUUN’s engineering team and updated regularly.
France’s APER law: the solar canopy obligation for car parks
Since the law of 10 March 2023, large outdoor car parks in France must generate renewable energy. Thresholds, deadlines, penalties and method, updated September 2026.
Read the guideFrance’s APER law: the solar canopy obligation for car parks
French outdoor car parks above 1,500 m² must be 50% covered by solar canopies. Deadlines (1 July 2026 and 2028), penalties, exemptions and how to prepare.
Solar carports in France: prior declaration or building permit?
Which planning consent does a French solar carport need: the 3 MWp threshold, protected areas, coastal law, local plan, application file and timelines.
Solar carports for car parks: the complete guide
Design, support count, foundations, permits, timelines and cost: what makes a solar parking canopy succeed, explained by SUUN.
Solar carport cost: what really drives the price
What really drives the cost of a solar carport: structure, foundations, grid connection, works and operations. Levers to reduce it and financing models.
Third-party financing for solar carports
How a third-party investor finances, builds and operates a carport on your car park: rent, term, end of contract, watch-outs and alternatives.
Connecting a solar carport to the grid
Connection request, technical and financial offer, works, commissioning: how to connect a solar carport to the grid and anticipate costs and delays.
Solar carports and fire safety
Emergency access, emergency shutdown, distance to buildings, EV charging: the fire safety points to address in a solar carport project.
Solar carport foundations: the critical point
Concrete pads, piles, screw piles, micropiles: how to choose solar carport foundations, deal with buried utilities and reduce the number of supports.
Snow and wind: how the Eurocodes size a solar carport
How Eurocode EN 1991 and national annexes size a solar carport for snow and wind: zones, uplift, drifts and what it means for foundations.
UHPFRC: bridge-grade concrete for solar carports
Why UHPFRC, the material of bridges and footbridges, enables long-span solar carports: strength, durability, slenderness, French standards NF P18-470 and NF P18-710.
Solar carport carbon footprint: steel, timber or UHPFRC?
Where a solar carport’s carbon footprint sits: panels, structure, foundations, transport, end of life. How to compare steel, timber and UHPFRC honestly.
Off-site construction: why solar infrastructure is industrialising
Prefabrication, pre-assembly, standardisation: what off-site construction changes for solar carports in cost, time, quality and safety.
Solar carport lifespan, maintenance and dismantling
How long a carport lasts, what maintenance to plan for structure and panels, and how to anticipate dismantling and reuse.
Solar carports and EV charging: design it in from the start
EV chargers under a solar canopy: cable routes, power, load management and storage. How to design a solar carport ready for EV charging.
Self-consumption on car parks: use what the canopy produces
Using the electricity from your solar carport on site: individual or collective self-consumption, sizing, surplus, storage and EV charging.
Carport, rooftop or ground-mount: which solar for your site?
Comparing solar carports, rooftop solar and ground-mounted plants for a business site: land, structure, cost, uses, constraints and how they combine.
Solar carports, rainwater and car park greening
Managing rainwater from a carport, de-sealing and greening a car park: what the rules allow and how to combine trees and solar.
Solar canopies for logistics platforms and HGV parking
Covering HGV parking or a logistics yard: clear height, turning circles, impacts, 24/7 operations. Why long spans change the game.
Solar canopies for shopping centre car parks
Adding solar canopies to a retail car park: APER compliance in France, customer experience, spaces kept, EV charging, works without closing. The SUUN method.
Concessions, airports, stations: the canopy as infrastructure
Service areas, airport and station car parks: how a demountable long-span canopy fits concession terms and EV charging hubs.
Solar carports in Europe: one product, several markets
Rules, climate and market: what changes for a solar carport in France, Germany, Italy and Sweden. One standard product, local configurations.
Two free tools
Know before you sign.
In two minutes, the simulator tells you whether your French car park falls under the APER law, what is at stake and what a solar carport would earn under each financing model. The white paper covers the rest.
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