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☀️ We don't need to pave over forests or farmland to scale solar. Some of the best real estate is surfaces we've already built.

Parking lot canopies: shade cars, cut urban heat, power EV chargers. One study found Walmart could fit 11 GW of solar just over its Supercenter lots.
e360.yale.edu/features/putting…

Canal-top solar, pioneered in Gujarat, India: panels shade irrigation channels, saving ~90 million liters of water from evaporation per year at one 10 MW plant. The water also cools the panels, boosting efficiency ~7%.
scientificamerican.com/article…

Swiss startup Sun-Ways lays panels between train tracks. 11,000+ trains have rolled over them with zero safety issues.
electrek.co/2026/06/30/solar-g…

The common thread: dual-use. Share the surfaces we already use instead of fighting over new land.

#solar #renewableenergy #energytransition


Solar gets railed: clever Swiss pilot proves PV panels and trains can coexist

Finding places to deploy new solar panels is often just as challenging as the construction project itself – with productive farmland,...
Jo Borrás (Electrek)
#solar #renewableenergy #energytransition
in reply to jcrabapple

Frank Skornia
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Frank Skornia
• •
The other bonus to these options is that they are already within or close to existing electrical infrastructure, so less needs to be done to tie them into the grid
in reply to jcrabapple

quixote
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quixote
• •

The holdup seems to be that the utilities were really hoping they could just keep ALL the money, and that means paving natural areas. They can get those using sweetheart deals from the government for cheap. No fuss, no muss.

I'm really to glad to see pushback developing!

in reply to jcrabapple

Samer Farha
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Samer Farha
• •
I was at the College Park IKEA last week and they’re doing this. The signage inside the store claims they’re going for 100% renewables, which is great. Also great: my car was protected from direct sunlight and was only boiling inside rather than broiling!
in reply to jcrabapple

Tlaud2
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Tlaud2
• •
"Parking lot canopies: shade cars, cut urban heat" Yes for the ground, but 15 feet higher, the panel is very hot (more than grey cement) That is not an good argument, yes for the space not for the heat.
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