The case for roof solar is well understood
Most organisations considering renewable generation start with the roof. It is uncontested space, typically south-facing, and the economics of commercial-scale solar have been attractive for a decade. If your building has a good-sized roof and no planning constraints, roof solar is usually the right first step.
But many fleet operators have already installed roof solar, or cannot install it — because the roof is north-facing, structurally unsuitable, or already allocated to plant. In these cases, the car park is the obvious next candidate.
Why the car park is often better
A commercial car park canopy has three advantages roof solar cannot match:
- Uncontested space — car parks are typically unused airspace. Unlike a roof, there is rarely a competing use.
- Permitted development — most car park canopy installations sit within permitted development rights, particularly for fleet depots and commercial sites.
- The charge points are already there — a HALO FastHub is not solar with charge points added. It is a co-designed energy and charging system. The canopy optimises its tilt for both generation and shading, the battery sits in the structural base, and the charge points use the generation directly.
The right question
The question is not “roof or car park?” — both can be right. The question is: “what does our car park do between 8am and 6pm that is more valuable than generating 19 kWp of clean electricity and charging twelve vehicles?” For most fleet operators and commercial property owners, the answer is nothing.