Solar Canopy Feasibility Toolkit

Net Zero Go says

The Solar Canopy Feasibility Toolkit helps turn Net Zero ambition into practical, early-stage decisions on solar carports. It provides a standard way to assess technical, financial, grid, storage and funding viability using imperfect car park data, producing clear and comparable outputs without the need for specialist expertise or heavy consultancy input.

For local authorities, the toolkit supports faster, more confident decisions and a prioritised pipeline of feasible sites. It also links well with wider EV charging and low-carbon estate planning, helping target investment where impact is greatest.

Solar Canopy Feasibility Toolkit

The Solar Canopy Feasibility Toolkit was developed to bridge the gap between strategic ambition and full technical feasibility. It standardises early-stage assessments, reduces reliance on external consultants, and supports consistent, evidence-based decisions by evaluating technical, financial, environmental, grid, storage, and funding viability using a common methodology.

By translating variable and often incomplete car park data into clear, comparable outputs, the toolkit enables local authorities to rapidly assess opportunities without specialist expertise. Transparent assumptions and outputs increase confidence in decision-making and support the creation of a prioritised pipeline of feasible sites, helping target investment where benefits are greatest.

The shared structure promotes collaboration across authorities, improves comparability, and feeds insights into wider low-carbon and EV charging strategies. Designed with scalability in mind, the toolkit provides a foundation that can be adapted for other regions, estates, or asset types.

Key learnings

Public-estate data quality varies significantly, requiring built-in validation and cross-checking. Flexibility is essential, as each car park presents unique constraints and opportunities. Simplifying complex modelling into intuitive inputs and clear outputs is critical for adoption. Early user engagement improved usability, while standardised scoring, demand estimation, and financial modelling drove more consistent and robust decisions across authorities.

Webinar: Solar Canopy Feasibility Toolkit

A webinar was recorded to document the toolkit and provide a guided walkthrough on how to use it.

Featuring presentations on how to use the toolkit from developers Scene Connect, and case studies of solar carport deployment by regional local authorities, the launch webinar aimed to give attendees an understanding of:

What the toolkit is and how it supports the stages of a solar canopy project.
The key lessons learned during its development.
Ways to use this shared tool to deliver more consistent and efficient solar canopy projects across the North East and Yorkshire region.

Solar Canopy Feasibility Toolkit

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