Europe Commercial Solar Carport Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis By Type (One-Row Vehicle Arrangement Carport, Two-Row Vehicle Arrangement Carport, and Two-row Dual Slope Vehicle Arrangement Carport), By Capacity (Less than 500 kW, 500 kW to 1 MW, and Above 1 MW), By Design (T-frame Structures and V-frame Structures), and Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

The Europe commercial solar carport market size was valued at USD 565.90 million in 2023. The market is projected to be worth USD 608.37 million in 2024 and reach USD 1,361.99 million by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 10.60% during the forecast period.

Solar carports are renewable alternatives to regular carports, thus reducing the businesses’ carbon footprint and helping combat climate change. Solar carports use photovoltaic (PV) panels to convert sunlight into electricity. By generating their electricity, users can reduce reliance on the grid and save on energy-generated costs. In recent years, there has been a transformative shift in the energy sector, spotlighting solar carports in shaping the future of clean energy. Many governments are spreading awareness about the benefits of solar carports and offering financial incentives, tax credits, and rebates to businesses that invest in solar installations. They can significantly reduce the upfront costs and improve the return on investment (ROI).

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic globally, the Europe commercial solar carport market was affected as electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facilities were closed. Furthermore, lockdowns and restrictions led to a lack of skilled labor. They reduced energy demand in commercial properties due to decreased occupancy, making it challenging for companies to commit to long-term investments. Many construction projects, including solar carport installations, were delayed or postponed due to the pandemic.

Europe Commercial Solar Carport Market Trends

Advancements in Solar Capacity to Propel Market Growth

Solar Capacity advancements have created new opportunities for solar carports. Adopting bifacial solar panels, intended to capture sunlight from both sides of the panel, is an emerging trend. Solar panel carports can now be up to 30% more effective, increasing their affordability and sustainability. Energy storage devices allow extra solar energy to be stored for later use, giving you a dependable power source even when the sun isn’t shining as much, thus helping households and businesses cut their energy costs further.

For instance, in December 2023, Solitek launched a new carport product series, which features 370 W glass-glass frameless modules with a load-bearing structure delivered with all fasteners required. It can withstand wind loads of 27m/s and a snow load of up to 2.5 kN/m2.

Europe Commercial Solar Carport Market Growth Factors

Enormous Investments in Renewable Energy Sources Contribute to the Demand for Solar Carports

Europe has abundant sources of renewable energy, and most of the European countries are leading in the deployment of renewable technologies and achieving renewable energy targets. European Union has set targets for all the European countries, and the goal of Europe with its “European Green Deal to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050” is at the forefront of all targets. The EU has adopted targets to achieve a 32% share of renewable energy in energy consumption by 2030. As the International Energy Agency observed, the global investment in clean energy must triple by 2030 to over USD 4 trillion annually; about 84% of the energy we consume in Europe relies on fossil fuels. The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group has channeled almost USD 114 million over the past decade into the European Union’s energy sector and additional finance for clean energy projects worldwide. In 2022, the EIB signed financial support totaling more than USD18 million for energy efficiency, renewable energy, electricity, and storage projects in the European Union, helping to strengthen its economic resilience. Support for clean energy projects beyond Europe was granted by EIB Europe, the EIB Group’s development arm, and it reached more than USD 2 million in 2022.

Moreover, the EU Commission proposed REPowerEU, a new energy independence policy for developing renewable power. It aims to invest USD 227 million in new energy to cut Russian fossil fuel imports, saving the EU almost USD 108 million annually. The total investment, USD 93 million, is for solar and wind power. Moreover, the proposal aims to double the EU’s newly installed solar PV capacity to more than 320 gigawatts by 2025 and targets almost 600 GW by 2030. These factors are leading to considerable investments in renewable energy, further giving rise to the adoption of the European commercial solar carport market.

Swelling Adoption of Electric Vehicles is Propelling the Market Growth

Electric vehicle markets are growing rapidly. Electric car sales remained strong, even if the European automotive market had not fully recovered from the pandemic. According to the IEA, European electric car sales continued to rise by more than 65% year-on-year to 2.3 million in 2021, following the boom in 2020. In Europe, electric car sales increased by over 15% in 2022, stating that more than one in every five cars is sold. The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association reported that Europe's overall electric vehicle sales exceeded 1.5 million units in 2023. Europe continues to experience strong growth after the boom in 2020, achieving the highest penetration of electric cars globally. The largest market in terms of the number of electric vehicles sold remains Germany, where electric cars accounted for 25% of total new cars sold, rising to one in three in November & December. Germany offers some of the utmost subsidies in Europe.

The electrification of automobiles is driving the new developments in automotive markets in European countries. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, entirely battery-operated- Battery Electric Vehicles stood at 15% of the automotive market in the first three quarters of 2023. Denmark, Finland, and Sweden are the leading countries in EV market penetration. In many countries, EVs' market share surpassed that of diesel cars for the consecutively second time this year and was the third most popular choice overall for car buyers across the EU. These factors are giving rise to the adoption of electric vehicles in this region, promoting the Europe commercial solar carport market growth.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

High Installation Costs and limited Accessibility of Suitable Sites Hinder the Market Growth

Solar carports are an excellent way to utilize space that might otherwise be wasted. They protect cars and can also provide additional storage space. The setting up of solar panels on the roof of a carport further increases its value and is not economically viable for all. A non-solar carport will provide shelter for your car and is built out of typical building materials such as concrete, bricks, or wood. A solar carport, however, is made out of solar panels and can provide energy to homes and shelter for the car. While there are savings on energy bills, the initial costs of solar carport installation can be quite high. For existing carports, the roof's pitch will likely not be able to support solar panels, which need to be angled a certain way to maximize the amount of power harnessed from the sun. The initial installation cost for a solar carport usually ranges from USD 18,000 to USD 25,000.

Another observation factor is the outdoor space required to fit a solar carport. The average space required is 400 to 700 square feet of solar panels to generate enough electricity to run. The cost of a solar carport increases due to various factors such as the cantilever, the structure's weight, taller vehicles, and guttering systems. Solar carports become more expensive with additional steel required for the cantilever, high installation costs due to the weight of the structure, potential need for electrical equipment to be located outside the carport structure to protect it from accidental damage, requirement for parking bays orientated between south-east and south-west, extra steel needed for accommodating taller vehicles, and other. Due to such factors, the European commercial solar carport market is affected, hampering the market growth.

Europe Commercial Solar Carport Market Segmentation Analysis

By Type Analysis

Two-Row Dual Slope Vehicle Arrangement Carport Dominates Owing To Its Compactness And Accommodating Ability  

Based on the type, the market can be segmented into one-row vehicle arrangement carport, two-row vehicle arrangement carport, and two-row dual slope vehicle arrangement carport.

The two-row dual slope vehicle arrangement carport segment dominates the market owing to growing adoption in commercial applications since it is compact and accommodates multiple vehicles.

On the other hand, a one-row vehicle arrangement is a type of carport with only one row/car of parking lot spaces, which is best suited for narrow lots, pathways, fenced areas, multi-family, retaining walls, affordable housing, and other purposes. With the growing adoption of passenger electric cars, the one-row vehicle arrangement structure will likely experience significant adoption.

By Capacity Analysis

High Usage of Above 1 MW Segment Across Commercial Sector Propels the Segment Growth

The market is segregated based on capacity into less than 500 KW to 1 MW, 500 KW, and above 1 MW.

Solar carports with above 1 MW capacity are the largest carport capacity across the commercial sector, resulting in dominating Europe's commercial solar carport market share. In commercial and utility-scale applications, extensive parking facilities or land areas are available for installation, where 1 MW solar carports are feasible to install. Moreover, 1MW or above solar carports are attractive to utilities seeking to diversify their energy requirements and meet renewable energy mandates. Utilities and large energy consumers are increasingly procuring solar power through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with solar developers, thus driving the demand for large-scale installations of 1MW or above solar carports. For instance, in 2020, the leading U.K. insurer enlisted the types of renewable energy developer RenEnergy to install more than 3,000 Qcells solar modules for a 1 MW solar carport system at the site of Aviva's Scottish HQ in Perth.

Subsequently, segments of less than 500kw and 500kw to 1 MW are expected to grow during the forecast period due to their increasing use in the industrial and residential segments.

By Design Analysis

T-Frames Leads With Its Vast Range of Applications in Commercial Spaces

Based on design, the market for commercial solar carport is segmented into V-frame and T-frame.

The T-frame segment dominates the market share owing to its wide application in commercial spaces, such as multi-story car parks, and it allows unhindered opening of car doors, resulting in its wide adoption. The T-Frame design has the advantage of an optimized ground footprint.

Vertical posts are usually between standard 2.4-meter carpark bays with a 3-4 bay span. Furthermore, the V-frame features lightweight and cost-effective steel frames that are adopted and positioned between standard 2.4m car park bays with a typical three-bay span.

COUNTRY INSIGHTS

Based on country, the European market for commercial solar carport has been analyzed across key countries, including the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and Rest of Europe.

The U.K. leads amongst the countries in Europe due to the increasing acceptance and use of solar carports. Another factor is the growing number of installations in parking garages. For instance, Northumberland County Council is celebrating the launch of its new, state-of-the-art solar carport system, one of the largest of its kind in the U.K. The project, which includes a covered car park with a canopy made of photovoltaic (PV) panels, was designed and built by the U.K. Power Networks Services and will help provide clean energy to the council's headquarters at County Hall in Morpeth.

The Netherlands is the second leading state in the solar carport market after the U.K., owing to numerous government initiatives and increased public-private investments and partnerships. Multiple small-scale and large-scale carport projects have been developed in the past few years. For instance, in 2022, the world’s largest solar carport was opened at a Dutch music festival in Lowland, Netherlands. The parking space covers 350,000 square meters, with over 90,000 solar panels and parking capacity for over 15,000 cars.

List of Key Companies in Europe Commercial Solar Carport Market

Key Market Players Are Delivering Wide Range of Products To Maintain Their Market Positions

The European commercial solar carport market is highly fragmented, with large and some medium-scale players delivering a wide range of products at local and country levels across the value chain. SunPower Corporation accounts for the majority of the market share. The world's highest-efficiency solar panels featuring SunPower Maxeon cell technology are frontrunners in the market. In June 2020, it designed a new program with Bank of the West to allow SunPower Commercial dealers a new financing option as part of a one-stop-shop complete solution.

List of Key Companies Profiled:

• SunPower Corporation (U.S.)


• Schletter (Germany)


• Flexisolar (U.K.)


• EvoEnergy (U.K.)


• Omnis Solar Power Co., Ltd (U.S.)


• Solarstone (Estonia)


• Shawton Energy (U.K.)


• GIULIO BARBIER SRL (Italy)


• Empower Energy Ltd (U.K.)


• Solisco (U.K.)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• July 2023- Schletter is awarded the contract for installing Austria’s first PV plant with a power capacity of 100 MW. The project is under development at the municipality of Nickelsdorf in Burgenland. It was developed by Sonnenbau GmbH and installed by FS UNO, a single-pile mounting system from the Schletter Group.


• June 2023- Schletter announced the launch of two significant products at Intersolar Europe 2023. One is a solar carport, and the other is a newly developed Agri-PV system. The company is also exploring new virtual worlds called “House of Schletter,” a metaverse where visitors and customers can test and experience the latest launched product.


• May 2023- Schletter will present a newly developed Agri-PV system at Intersolar. It is a system in which bifacial modules are mounted vertically in rows. Ramming profiles are driven into the ground, where the modules are inserted directly. It features modules that are fixed between the profiles with freely movable clamps.


• November 2021- EvoEnergy has bagged awards for Commercial Solar and Storage Project of the Year by Stourton Park & Ride and EV Infrastructure Project of the Year for The HyperHubs Project. The award reflects the company’s demonstrated continuous hard work of its expert team members. 


• June 2022- EvoEnergy partnered with the City of York Council to construct the HyperHubs, which feature four 175kW ultra-rapid chargers (upgradable to 350kW), four 50kW rapid chargers, and thirty 7kW chargers for Park and Ride users.

REPORT COVERAGE

The report provides a detailed analysis of the market for commercial solar carport and focuses on key aspects such as leading companies, product/service types, and leading applications of the product. Besides, the report offers insights into the market trends and highlight       s key industry developments. In addition to the factors above, the report encompasses several factors that contributed to the growth of the market in recent years.

REPORT SCOPE & SEGMENTATION