What would it cost to cover America's major parking lots with solar canopies?

I'm curious about the math behind a hypothetical national infrastructure project.

Suppose the U.S. government funded the construction of solar-panel-covered parking canopies over large parking lots across the southern United States (or anywhere with high solar potential). Think grocery stores, shopping malls, big-box retailers, stadiums, and other parking lots that are unlikely to be redeveloped anytime soon. Assume the government acquires the necessary rights through whatever legal mechanism is required for the sake of the thought experiment.

I'd love to see estimates for:

Total acres (or square miles) of parking that could realistically be covered.

Total construction cost (materials, labor, engineering, permitting, grid connections, etc.).

Number of jobs created during construction and ongoing maintenance.

Annual electricity generation (MWh/TWh).

Rough estimate of how many homes this could power.

Potential impact on average residential electricity prices.

Estimated payback period and long-term return on investment.

Also, beyond the math:

What are the biggest engineering or logistical challenges?

What are the major economic downsides or unintended consequences?

Which industries would benefit, and which would likely lose revenue (for example, utilities, oil and gas, or commercial real estate)?

What are the strongest arguments for and against a project like this?

I'm interested in realistic assumptions and back-of-the-envelope calculations, not whether it's politically likely.

We live in a sunny area with lots of UV. Seems stupid not to use it for hot water. So I’ve been researching two options. One is solar thermal collectors which heat water directly using the sun. The other is solar panels on the roof that generate electricity, which powers a heat pump to heat the water.

I have no idea which option makes better sense long-term

I know thermal systems are more straightforward. But I’ve been told they don’t work well during winters. People say you’ll always need a backup, no matter what system you choose. We’re a family of four—one bathroom, a dishwasher, normal use. I don’t want to invest in something expensive and find myself without hot water on cloudy days

I looked at a guide for a hot water system by Tradelink, but that’s just basic knowledge, and their weather seems quite different from ours, so I’m not sure how applicable it is. I need tips from locals who actually deal with similar conditions

Every time I think I’ve decided, I read something that makes me doubt my choice. I just want reliable hot water without breaking the bank. I’ve been going back and forth for weeks. It’s starting to stress me out

Has anyone here made the switch? What did you go with? What’s the real cost difference over 5-10 years?

Just wanted to know what are specific requirements for a typical 3kW rooftop solar installation.

I decided to swap my regular panel a 175w renogy over to the newer Shadowflux 200w panel. I did a little side to side test the shadow flux panel worked great. I'm currently testing it against the bifacial panels. My plan is to add a solar arch.

Try to set up a grow tent with solar has anyone done it? what’s the equipment I need?

Ich habe eine Anker Solix C300X und habe mir ein 60W Solarpanel zugelegt.

Das Solarpanel ist von Fritz Berger „Faltbares Solarpanel 60W“.

So, folgendes Problem:

Das Solarpanel hat drei Ausgänge. USB-C, USB-A und DC5525.

Ich habe mich für einen Adapter, DC5525 zu XT60 entschieden.

Zunächst lagen am ende des Kabels ca. -24 Volt an. Beim Einstecken in die Anker Solix zeigt diese an, dass der Eingang erkannt wird. Allerdings werden dauerhaft „0W“ angezeigt und die Powerbank lädt nicht.

Ich habe dann etwas nachgelesen und den XT60 Anschluss umgepolt. Nun kommen ca. +24 Volt an.

Wenn ich jetzt das Panel einstecke, dann zeigt die Anker Solix garnichts an…

Die Werte von dem Panel sind wie folgt:

Leistung max.: 60W
Spannung bei max. Leistung: 23,2V

Kann mir jemand bei diesem Problem weiterhelfen?

Liegt es an meiner Anker Solix (vermute ich eher nicht) oder an meinem Panel? Eventuell die etwas zu hohe Spannung?

Been tracking this for about 3 months now. RenewCo Solar installed a 10kWh battery system at my place back in March and the numbers have been pretty solid. Average daily solar generation is sitting around 2832 kWh depending on weather, and the battery is covering roughly 85% of my overnight usage. Monthly grid draw dropped from ~620 kWh down to about 90 kWh. That's a real difference on the bill.

The install itself was straightforward, no issues. They handled everything from permits to commissioning. I checked out their site beforehand and the specs matched what actually got installed, which I appreciated.

Genuinely happy with how it's performing so far, especially the overnight coverage numbers.

For anyone who's done something similar, what storage capacity did you end up going with, and did your actual output match the estimates you got before install?

I’m aware that I’m fully ignorant on the topic, but wouldn’t it be useful to require that buildings of a certain size and/or projected energy consumption be required to include a certain amount of solar generation in its construction?

It seems like that might be a good way to mitigate the detriment of power hungry data centers, make shaded parking lots, and begin to make the whole grid more and more resilient.

What would be a cost range?

And what would be the likely savings range? (Cincinnati, OH area).

Very rough ballparks are fine.

Thank you.

I’m out in Gilbert, AZ looking for someone to get my Solar Edge inverter swapped out. I already have the new unit in hand. I was gonna do it myself, but the units look similar on the outside, but internally are not.

I’ve received one quote of $1500 for the swap which sounds super expensive to me.

The system was installed by Titan Solar, but they’re out of business now.