The ENR law relating to the acceleration of renewable energies, which came into force on July 1, 2023, will gradually require all owners of outdoor parking lots of more than 1500 m² to equip themselves with photovoltaic generators covering 50% of the surface area of the parking lot, and this until 2028.
For the first time, penalties for non-compliance with the application of the law are provided. It aims for local production of renewable energy, independent of fluctuations in energy costs, also making it possible to strengthen energy autonomy while decarbonizing the economy. This law is of particular importance, because it is the first time that a law applies to existing buildings (stock) and not to new constructions or major renovations.
This law is fully part of the European and global energy transition and thus opens the way to self-consumption. But it is not without challenges.
Rapid deployment for multiple uses to be defined
Parking lot shades represent an undeniable opportunity for solar energy. Installed on already artificialized soils, they do not generate any conflicts of use. In addition, they provide comfort to users, providing shelter against the sun's rays and bad weather; and have numerous advantages, notably on installation times which are on average 18 months, compared to more than five years for a ground-mounted plant.
With the ENR law, which encourages car park owners to install solar panels on shade structures, we are therefore on a virtuous cycle. But the application of this law will lead to the multiplication of decentralized energy production, without providing for its use. This is therefore an opportunity to develop solutions for optimizing locally produced energy.
The question of uses must therefore be raised, in order to be able to optimize the management of this locally produced renewable energy, and to exploit it as best as possible.
The combination of photovoltaic panels and EV charging infrastructure, which contributes in particular to clean mobility, must be considered. Thus, the green energy produced by photovoltaic shades will be directly used by EV charging. Energy storage, management and optimization systems (BEMS) can also be implemented to manage the electricity produced optimally and meet the flexibility needs of the network. All of these solutions constitute a response to the risks of network saturation linked to the multiplication and concentration of these PV generators, and they are the key to a virtuous circuit towards self-consumption. Parking lot owners also benefit from this.
An opportunity for parking managers
The issue is of great importance for parking lot owners, as they find themselves faced with unforeseen obligations and investments. The financial penalty provided for in the event of non-compliance with this obligation will vary between €20.000 and €40.000 depending on the size of the car parks. However, owners should consider this law as an opportunity to reduce their energy expenses and generate additional income by, for example, offering charging services.
In order to support this transition and provide support to landowners, financing systems exist. Indeed, solutions such as leasing or third-party investors (with an energy partner or a photovoltaic specialist), allow smaller structures to comply with this law. In addition, the costs of this investment can be optimized. If the installation of PV generators requires expensive road and network work (VRD) and cabling, the installation costs can be shared with the installation of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (IRVE), offering prospects additional income.
It is also possible to anticipate costs using simulation tools to model both the electrical performance, but also the profitability of a project involving the installation of PV generators and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. These tools simulate the installation of a photovoltaic generator, the impacts of the EV terminal infrastructures that we want to put in place; make it possible to take into consideration the consumption of existing buildings and to size storage solutions in order to optimize the overall solution.
The path to self-consumption
Thanks to PV generators, it becomes possible to stabilize your energy supply costs for 20 years. This stability offers better visibility on energy expenditure, protected from price fluctuations, in a context where energy prices are very fluctuating.
Some companies have adopted solutions there. A concrete example is that of La Poste, which has set up a microgrid pilot project. This project takes advantage of the energy produced by photovoltaic shade houses (and stored via an energy storage system), to recharge its vehicles, while powering a building on the site during peak hours, when prices are high on the electrical network.
The ENR law is a promising way to increase green energy production capacity in France, because it creates a virtuous constraint necessary to move away from fossil fuels. The obvious path to these new decentralized energy production capacities is of course self-consumption.
To strengthen the impact of this law in France, it is essential to supplement it with a self-consumption development plan, notably integrating energy storage. This is the case, for example, of our Spanish neighbors, who have implemented an effective awareness, support and incentive policy with a subsidy and financial support component, including aid for energy storage. Thanks to this, Spain has greatly accelerated its energy transition and the adoption of self-consumption by its fellow citizens.
In the future, storage solutions will play a crucial role in optimizing the use of photovoltaic installations, alleviating constraints on the electricity network and meeting network flexibility challenges. From this perspective, exploiting the potential of private investment would be wise, in order to reduce the need for heavy investments in public networks; especially since France is facing significant financing challenges. By encouraging private investment in storage solutions, we could benefit from an economically viable approach while ensuring balanced management of our electricity grid, setting the stage for a more resilient and sustainable energy future.
Opinion by Christophe Bourgueil, Head of development of energy transition and energy storage solutions, Eaton (LinkedIn).
