Solar shade call for expressions of interest and APER law

Call for expressions of interest (EOI) and calls for tenders for solar shade.

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Public authorities have an interest (and are obliged, under article 40 of the APER law on the installation of photovoltaic panels on parking facilities) in enhancing the value of their land by exploiting the surface area of their parking spaces, and therefore by installing photovoltaic parking facilities.
To meet the challenges of today's energy transition, local authorities are installing solar panels on their parking decks, either superimposed (the panels are placed on top) or integrated (the panels are an integral part of the roof).

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The community can either directly consume the electricity generated for its own needs (self-consumption: for example, the community building next to the shaded parking lot), or inject it into the ENEDIS power grid (injection) via a resale contract, thereby generating income and recouping its investment. Or, finally, it opts for a hybrid business model (self-consumption with sale of the excess).

These opportunities exist either in the form of  tender or EOI.

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As a reminder, the EOI generally precedes the award of a public contract, allowing candidate companies to position themselves upstream of the project. At this stage, the local authority or public player publishing this EOI does not necessarily have precise specifications, as its exact requirements are not yet entirely clear.
In publishing this EOI on solar shade, we are seeking to obtain :

• Innovative proposals from candidate companies, which will enable it to select interesting projects to define its specifications clearly and precisely.
• Prequalify a limited number of candidates. In fact, only candidates who have participated in this solar shade EOI, and thus by definition expressed their interest, will be able to take part in the call for tenders for the installation.

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Solar shade call for expressions of interest (EOI)
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Examples of French EOIs published on Deepbloo in June 2024 for solar shade:

• ‍Call for expressions of interest for the construction of a solar shading system on a plot of land belonging to the Saint-Brieuc urban area (June 14, 2024, CA Saint Brieuc Armor)
• ‍Call for expressions of interest Installation of photovoltaic shade on the parking lot of the Municipal Technical Center (June 21, 2024, Municipality of Pace (35))‍
• Call for expressions of interest for the construction of a photovoltaic shade (in Villars (42) June 28, 2024)
  

There are a growing number of offers on solar shade. In the first half of 2024, we identified more than 200 on Deepbloo.

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Obligation to install photovoltaic panels on parking lots (APER law)

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The APER law (no. 2023-175 of March 10, 2023 relating to the acceleration of renewable energy production), nicknamed the APER law, which aims to facilitate the acceleration of renewable energy production in France, places local authorities at the heart of territorial planning for renewable energies.

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Article 40 of the ApER law makes it compulsory to install photovoltaic panels on car park shades on outdoor car parks existing on July 1, 2023, of more than 1,500 m², over at least 50% of the car park surface area, as well as new parking lots for which planning permission has been submitted on or after March 10, 2023.

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There are a number of exceptions to this obligation, in particular for the following reasons:

• Existing means of renewable energy production on the site that are at least equivalent in terms of capacity.
• Technical, safety, architectural, heritage, environmental or site and landscape constraints prevent installation;
• Impossibility of implementing the obligation under economically acceptable conditions;
• Presence of shade from trees over at least half the surface area of the parking lot;
• Total or partial removal or conversion of a car park as part of a development project or operation for which initial authorization is granted before the expiry of specified deadlines.

Concerning the 1,500m² threshold: the minimum dimensions of a parking space are 2.30 metres wide and 5 metres long, i.e. 11.5 m², which means that this obligation applies to parking lots with around 100 parking spaces.

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Acceleration zone (APER law) and photovoltaic shades.

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To enable the French government to meet its renewable energy production targets, the APER law requires communes to define so-called “renewable energy acceleration zones” (ZAEnR).
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These are zones in which the commune wishes to facilitate the establishment of a renewable energy project, by granting them advantages such as shorter project appraisal times and preferential financial arrangements, notably in terms of electricity buy-back prices.
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Acceleration zones therefore enable each municipality to identify parking lots where photovoltaic shading systems can be deployed.
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Knowing the Acceleration Zones will enable companies to identify, at a very early stage, areas where calls for expressions of interest or invitations to tender for shading systems are likely to be issued.

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Deepbloo helps you find your calls for expressions of interest and tenders in just a few clicks, and alerts you daily to offers that match your business. Find out more about our offers.

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Read the article on Photovoltaic Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI)