Solar Parking Lot Canopies

Conceptual rendering of Solar Canopy at Reutershan parking lot in East Hampton Village

Solar canopies in places like parking lots can go along way toward renewable energy capacity in places that are logistically hard to cover with panels, like the center of a business district. Municipalities in many places, especially California, are looking at covering parking lots with overhead solar arrays that not only shade parked cars but could provide the electricity directly for electric car charging stations. We know that electric cars are only gaining in scale and importance as a critical climate emergency solution. East Hampton Village and Town would do well to explore the option of covering a large municipal lot, especially as it would add capacity generation where it currently very lacking in a way that could circumvent zoning and the need for physical space that comes at a steep premium.