Which car parks fall under the APER law?

Outdoor car parks larger than 1,500 m² must be covered by solar carports over at least half of their surface area.

What are the compliance deadlines?

1 July 2026 for car parks over 10,000 m² and 1 July 2028 for those between 1,500 and 10,000 m², with possible extensions where a third party operates the site under an existing contract.

Are exemptions available?

Exemptions exist for technical, safety, architectural or heritage constraints, and where the cost would be manifestly disproportionate. Each exemption must be documented and justified.

Resources · Regulation

The APER law and solar carports: what large parking owners in France need to plan for

France's renewable acceleration law (APER) requires most large outdoor car parks to be solarised. Here are the thresholds, deadlines, exemptions and the method to turn a regulatory obligation into a controlled energy project.

Solar carports installed over a retail outdoor car park in France

Which car parks are covered?

The obligation applies to outdoor car parks larger than 1,500 m², whether existing or new. At least half of the surface must be covered by shade structures incorporating renewable generation — in practice, photovoltaic panels.

Typically affected: retail parks and shopping centres, logistics platforms, industrial sites, hospitals and public bodies, office parks and multi-site property owners. A single owner can easily hold dozens of eligible car parks falling under different deadlines.

Compliance timeline

1 July 2026
Outdoor car parks over 10,000 m²: at least 50% of the surface must be covered by solar carports.
1 July 2028
Outdoor car parks between 1,500 m² and 10,000 m²: same 50% coverage obligation.
Existing contracts
Extensions may apply where the car park is operated by a third party under a concession or contract already in force.

The timeline and detailed rules stem from the APER law (law no. 2023-175) and its implementing texts. Specific situations should be confirmed with your legal counsel.

Available exemptions

Technical, safety or architectural constraints that make installation impossible.
Heritage, environmental or protected-site constraints.
Works costs that are manifestly disproportionate to the expected benefits.
Car parks due to be removed or redeveloped in the short term.

An exemption must be documented: it requires a technical and economic assessment of the site, not a simple declaration.

From obligation to economic opportunity

A solar carport is more than a compliance item. Properly scoped, it generates electricity next to a consuming site, shelters vehicles, prepares the ground for EV charging and can be financed by a third party through a PPA. The value gap between an imposed project and a managed one comes mostly from partner selection and the quality of the specification.

Method: four steps to secure your programme

01
Map your car parks
Measure actual surface per site, flag those above the 1,500 m² threshold and rank them by regulatory deadline.
02
Qualify feasibility
Ground structure, traffic flows, grid constraints, connection capacity, site load profile and the self-consumption vs PPA scenario.
03
Select EPC partners
A shortlist of developers and EPCs genuinely equipped for carports: comparable references, financial strength and delivery capacity.
04
Compare and negotiate
One common specification, like-for-like offer comparison, and a clear trade-off between owning the asset and third-party financing.