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Comment by lucidguppy | Hacker News Reader

They should lease all federal parking lots for solar installations.

False. After having done a cost analysis of the increase in accidents in the parking lots due to the increased poles, the cheap cost of power from the grid in my area of the country, and the fact that I must hire a veteran owned firm if they are slightly less than 33.33% more expensive than private firms (aka they take the job and pocket 33.32% and subcontract out to their bidding competitors).

Solar is not coming to a government parking lot near you unless these hurdles are addressed. In the very least, not "all" government parkinglots.

Every school in my town recently got massive solar in the parking lots. So it's definitely happening some places.

It actually annoyed me a bit because my childhood elementary school is in my neighborhood of houses. And they constructed large metal structures in the parking lot and installed the solar. It's basically massive metal commercial metalwork, in a residential neighborhood. A bit weird.

Not as weird as using all those acres to park metal boxes for 23 hours a day though

Correct, a residential neighborhood is used to having cars in it.

What it usually doesn't have is 6x6" metal columns going up 20' into the air, and then diagonal metal roofing with solar panels on it.

Go ahead and try to get a permit to install a metal carport in front of your house in a normal town. I don't think you'll get it because it looks ridiculous in residential. But somehow they okd industrial metal solar installations in my neighborhood.

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot... but almost in reverse

Yeah, some towns in my area have gone all-in and done solar on muni rooftops and such. Others are just passing all the opportunities by.

Looks across the street at the massive electrical substation beside my house.

Definitely weird and not at all something we expect other people to live with.

I guess buying a house next to one is one thing. Permitting one after people bought a house is a bit different.

And a substation might be required, so I guess bring it on. Solar panels in a parking lot could be done anywhere. Why install them in the parking lot in a quaint residential neighborhood? Why not just put them near city hall or any land the city owns but isn't in residential?

I get it, but I don't think it was really necessary or any more useful than solar on tons of other locations. The city is going to pay for x amount of electricity one way or another. They could have stick that solar in the bus terminal parking lot in the commercial side of town.

In hot climates the cooling benefit alone is worthwhile

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