Large commercial car parks are among the most overlooked opportunities in the UK and European energy markets. For Solarport, a company with over
10 years of experience in designing and manufacturing clean energy infrastructure, expanding into solar carports and canopies was the next logical step.
Solarport’s new PowerPark® PRO commercial carports range transfers the structural and electrical engineering methodologies proven in utility-scale ground-mount PV systems into commercial parking infrastructure. The range aligns with accelerating regulations, rising grid energy costs, and increasing demand for distributed solar generation and EV-integrated carport solutions.
A market ready for change
Across the UK, Ireland and Europe, retail parks, logistics centres and commercial estates contain extensive areas of underutilised hardstanding infrastructure. These large surfaces are typically left exposed year-round, offering little functional use beyond parking while contributing to higher surface temperatures and heat build-up.
The UK alone now contains more than 49,000 privately operated car parks, according to government documentation1 submitted by industry trade associations, representing substantial growth over the past decade. Demand for onsite renewable energy generation continues to accelerate, particularly among commercial and industrial sites seeking to reduce grid dependency, lower operational energy expenditure and strengthen long-term energy resilience.