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CamelSpotting t1_j7lvdvk wrote

Notably their example is in Taiwan where available land is limited.

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ledow t1_j7n282b wrote

Countries where available land is limited don't have large open car parks that aren't multi-storey in the first place.

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PartyOperator t1_j7lvoqd wrote

Large open car parks in urban areas present a substantial opportunity for literally anything other than a car park. Solar farms should be quite far down the list in most cases.

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professor_mc t1_j7n6ik6 wrote

This is old news where I live (Phoenix, USA). Not far from me are shopping centers and schools with solar shades. There is a Tesla supercharger with solar at the nearest major shopping center. A place where I worked studied adding solar shade but the nearest connection point to the grid was too far away to make it work. It would have required expensive transmission lines and it is hard to get new power lines approved.

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Splenda t1_j7o6vcs wrote

Solar pro here. If you want to pay more, build solar carports. To pay less, put arrays on open ground or on rooftops.

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stu54 t1_j7pao02 wrote

Is it because carparks are sources of oily particulates, and are expensive to service when in use and difficult to close?

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Splenda t1_j7pu6db wrote

No, it's because public carports require more materials, more complicated installation, more safeguards to keep DC wiring away from prying fingers, heavy posts to survive vehicle strikes, etc..

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ballsonthewall t1_j7mdoh2 wrote

ideally we wouldn't have large surface car parks in cities... but I guess if they're going to exist using them for solar makes it slightly better?

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WildCheese t1_j7mo37b wrote

Where exactly are you going to park? Public transit won't get you there.

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Gamebird8 t1_j7nwg8f wrote

Improving the temperature of Cities and reducing the carbon footprint of cities is a twofold process of removing excess and unused pavement and replacing it with green space, while also moving towards solar panels to provide shade and energy absorption where we still need parking.

Better public transportation would also help immensely

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B_P_G t1_j7o9jaz wrote

How vulnerable are solar panels to vibration? Like if you installed them on a canopy over a freeway would they last or would the vibrations from the road damage them?

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stu54 t1_j7pc8f4 wrote

Also, roads kick up oil, asphalt, salt, tire dust, exhaust particulates... And skylines are useful locational references.

I think car infrastructure can't be made multipurpose. Cars are just too awful to pair with anything else.

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keninsd t1_j7og4wu wrote

It would be a more substantial opportunity if those solar panels were on top of moderately priced housing where parking lots used to be.

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giggidy88 t1_j7na6mk wrote

Solar power and wind power are ecological disasters, let’s try nuclear.

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