Africa’s car parks don’t just need to shelter vehicles; they need to power the future. With the right policies, solar carports can transform static urban sprawl into engines of clean energy, mobility, and economic opportunity. The sun is not waiting. Why should we?
Sponsored By Solar Africa
In the heat of Africa’s energy and climate crossroads, a sleek and surprising contender is rising – not on rooftops, but above parking lots. From Kampala’s jam-packed avenues to Johannesburg’s wide-open driveways, solar carports are quietly transforming empty asphalt into engines of innovation. These structures do more than shield cars from the sun; they generate clean power, support electric mobility, and make smart use of limited urban space.
But while the private sector is racing ahead with pilot projects and bold designs, policy is stuck in park. Without the right frameworks, these promising innovations risk stalling before they scale. This analysis unpacks the untapped potential of solar carports, explores the barriers holding them back, and offers policy prescriptions to drive Africa toward a more resilient, solar-powered future.
Dual use, dual benefits – but for whom?
Solar carports smartly utilise already-sealed spaces such as malls, offices, and public parking lots to generate electricity, offsetting carbon emissions and easing pressure on national grids. The Garden City Mall in Nairobi, for example, offsets an estimated 18,750 tonnes of carbon emissions over its lifetime, powering the equivalent of 550 homes annually. The mall recently achieved a LEED certification by implementing sustainable design and construction practices, including energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems, the use of recycled materials, water conservation, and waste management. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a globally recognised green building certification program that evaluates building sustainability and environmental performance. The mall also features a green roof that helps reduce heat absorption and stormwater runoff, and solar panels that provide a portion of the mall’s energy needs.
Similarly, GIZ Uganda’s solar carport installation provides reliable power to a critical administrative hub, reducing dependence on fossil-fuel generators.
Policy Implication: Governments should incentivise dual-use solar infrastructure by integrating solar carports into urban planning codes, particularly for commercial properties. Urban building permits should require or reward developers for incorporating carport-mounted PV panels in new large-scale developments.
Energy resilience meets infrastructure gaps
With countries like South Africa facing load shedding and grid instability, solar carports have the potential to provide decentralized, locally generated energy; especially when coupled with battery storage. The Trade Route Mall’s 3.6MW installation is a case in point, supplying 30% of its electricity needs. The bespoke solar carport structure was the largest of its kind at the time and offers shaded parking to shoppers while generating clean, green energy. As a combined Power Purchase Agreement, battery lease, and roof rental option, the mall could enjoy monthly cost savings without upfront capital investment.
However, the continent lacks a comprehensive distributed energy regulation framework, particularly for carport-based generation systems. Solar installations are often treated under generic off-grid or commercial solar regulations, with no tailored permitting, interconnection, or safety codes for carport-specific systems.
Policy Recommendation: Governments must define regulatory classifications for solar carports as distinct infrastructure. Energy ministries should work with city governments and utilities to streamline permitting, grid interconnection, and tariff structures for solar carports, including time-of-use incentives for EV charging.
Equity, access, and the urban bias
So far, solar carport deployments have been concentrated in urban commercial centres; malls, corporate offices, and donor headquarters. This raises concerns about equity: are solar carports simply a solution for those who can afford private vehicles and shopping malls, or can they be leveraged to benefit the wider public?
Policy Gap: Public-sector deployments remain rare, despite the potential of carports at hospitals, universities, government offices, and transport hubs.
Policy Direction: Governments should launch pilot public solar carport projects, especially in transport depots, hospitals, and educational institutions. These projects can demonstrate cost-effectiveness, encourage local manufacturing of carport structures, and allow shared charging infrastructure for public EV fleets.
Integration with electric mobility: Still a missed opportunity
Despite the natural alignment, policy integration between solar energy and EV adoption remains fragmented. While private actors like GIZ Uganda and South African retailers have paired solar carports with EV chargers, this is the exception rather than the rule.
Governments are yet to align e-mobility roadmaps with clean energy policies. Moreover, tariff structures often do not reflect the lower generation cost of solar, making EV charging via solar carports less attractive without subsidies.
Policy Recommendation: Energy and transport ministries must co-develop national EV-Solar Integration Strategies. These should:
- Mandate EV charging points at all new solar carport installations above a certain size.
- Offer feed-in tariff bonuses or net metering benefits to solar carports with EV integration.
- Subsidise public-access EV chargers powered by solar, especially in underserved regions.
Skills shortage: an obstacle to scale
As demand for solar carports rises, a lack of skilled solar installers threatens to undermine progress. South Africa’s example highlights the acute need for trained artisans and solar technicians, particularly those with expertise in structural installations, electrical connections, and battery systems.
Policy Gap: Technical and vocational training systems across the continent have not yet adapted to the growing demand for solar infrastructure expertise.
Policy Response: Governments and development partners must expand TVET solar training programmes to include:
- Carport solar installation techniques.
- Battery and EV charger integration.
- Maintenance and remote monitoring systems.
Special incentives could be provided to solar carport projects that hire certified local technicians, supporting green jobs and boosting local economies.
Financing bottlenecks and private sector innovation
While companies like SolarAfrica are creating innovative lease-to-own or power-purchase models to enable adoption, the upfront capital costs remain a barrier; especially for public sector clients. Solar carports, despite long-term savings, require robust capital financing ecosystems.
Policy Recommendations:
- Establish green financing facilities and blended finance models specifically targeting solar carports.
- Provide guarantees, interest rate subsidies, or tax breaks for public and private entities installing solar carports.
- Encourage public-private partnerships (PPPs) to co-finance solar carport infrastructure at scale.
From promising niche to policy priority
Solar carports hold tremendous potential for Africa’s clean energy future – but only if matched by intentional and enabling policy frameworks. Rather than waiting for the private sector to drive adoption in isolated hubs, African governments should:
- Mandate solar carports in large parking spaces (as France has done).
- Incentivise integration with EV infrastructure.
- Localise supply chains and skills development, and
- Unlock tailored finance mechanisms.
As climate pressures mount and urbanisation accelerates, transforming car parks from passive heat islands into clean energy hubs is not just sensible – it is strategic. With the right policy alignment, solar carports can become a symbol and a solution of Africa’s energy transition.
