Solar car parks now mandatory but ‘only 10-15%’ are complying

From July 1, a new law took effect in France, dictating that outdoor car parks larger than 10,000 m² – including those at large supermarkets (called grandes surfaces in French), shopping malls and commercial districts – must be covered with photovoltaic canopies over half of their total area.

It is the latest enforcement of a law to accelerate renewable energy production – known as the APER law, or Acceleration de la Production des Énergies Renouvelables – which was passed in March 2023 and clarified by a decree published in November 2024.

Medium-sized car parks, ranging from 1,500 to 10,000 m², have been granted an extension until July 1, 2028 to comply.

The law is beneficial to drivers, who can park their cars in the shade or out of the rain whilst shopping, and it is also a source of renewable electricity, generating power to be consumed directly on site, thus limiting losses associated with transmission over the grid.

However, it is not yet being fully adhered to. Currently, only 10-15% of parking lots are equipped with solar panels, according to Edouard Roblot, director of solar energy at Idex, a company which aims to accelerate the energy transition by promoting local, low-carbon energy. 

Speaking of the potential benefits, he told France 2: “We’re sitting on a veritable goldmine of solar energy. The potential of these solar parking lots is in the range of 15 to 20 gigawatts – equivalent to 12 next-generation nuclear reactors, or the electricity consumption of four million households.”

Retail giants with car parks over 10,000 m² that fail to comply with the law could face a fine of €40,000 every year.

Workplace heat checks

More than 3,600 workplace inspections were carried out in one month to ensure that companies were complying with their “obligations” to keep employees safe during the June heatwave in France.

“We’ve never conducted so many inspections,” said Employment Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou, adding: “We’ll have measures in place before the next heatwave in 2027.”

The minister plans to travel to Spain in September with labour and management representatives to understand how Spanish society has adapted to extreme heat and potentially “draw inspiration from it”. Spain, he told France Inter, “has a history of dealing with heat”, and “we’re going to look at the measures they’ve taken. What works? What doesn’t work?” 

He intends to create “a national framework very quickly. It could take a month. By the end of October, all of this should be rolled out to the sectors,” and “there will be industry-specific agreements.”

The minister recently told Le Monde that he was open to holding talks with unions and employers’ organisations on how to better organise working conditions during extreme weather events.

Volunteers sought for health study

Up to 3,000 volunteers are being sought to participate in a major study on the health impact of environmental pollution.

Santé publique France and ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, have sent out 15,000 letters throughout France to recruit participants – adults and children who will complete questionnaires on diet and physical activity and agree to undergo a blood test – for the Albane survey (in French only).

Its aim is to better understand the impact of chemicals and lifestyle factors on health and to assess the risks associated with food.

“We are seeking to better understand exposure to chemicals that may be present in the environment, chronic diseases such as diabetes, respiratory diseases, obesity, or high blood pressure, and chemical or microbiological nutritional risks related to diet,” said one of the survey coordinators for ANSES.

Initial results are expected in 2028.