From Gray Box to Green Powerhouse

Rethinking Parking Structures

Parking garages are ideal candidates for solar installations, often outperforming traditional buildings in both practicality and value. But due to the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), several key tax incentives that once fueled these projects are now set to phase out sooner than expected.

With the window narrowing, building owners should take a hard look at their assets - especially garages - while incentives are still on the table. Here's why garages deserve greater attention.

Why Rooftop Solar Isn't Always So Simple

In dense urban and semi-urban areas, surface parking is limited, and open fields are non-existent. That leaves owners looking up - to the rooftops of commercial buildings or parking garages.

While building rooftops offer potential for solar, they also come with challenges:

• Geometric Constraints: Commercial roofs vary widely in shape and size. Many are cluttered with HVAC equipment, piping, headhouses, green roofs, or tiered setbacks, some roofs are too small, and other roofs are irregular in shape.

• Structural Limitations: Unknown structural framing can require probing or strengthening before solar loads can be added.

• MEP Access: Lack of space in mechanical rooms near the roof often means reconfiguring interior spaces to accommodate PV infrastructure.

• Construction Logistics: Transporting materials like steel framing or battery systems to tall buildings can be complex, especially when freight elevators don’t reach the roof.

• Renovation Risks: Older buildings often lack detailed as-built drawings, increasing the risk of schedule and cost overruns with unknown conditions.

Why Garages Excel for Solar

Unlike typical buildings, most open parking structures have generous standardized footprints that can easily accommodate solar installations – and this applies to both new construction and existing garages.

Garages may not win many architectural awards, but their straightforward design is what makes them perfect for solar. Think of them as blank canvases with fewer constraints.

Key Advantages:

• Large, open footprints for uniform PV grid layouts

• Straightforward routing for conduit and electrical between tiers

• Easy material delivery - just drive up the ramps

• Plenty of space under ramps or in corners for equipment

• Minimal surprises due to exposed structure and predictable layouts

There’s even a bonus: solar installations can double as covered parking. Most garages skip this amenity due to cost, but with PV, you can get shelter and sustainability in one package. Turning an otherwise exposed roof into both a power generator and a user-friendly feature is smart asset capitalization.

What Makes a Garage a Good Solar Candidate?

Any new garage can be designed to be solar-ready with minimal added costs. Most existing garages are also strong candidates, but some will require due diligence to vet. Here’s what to look for:

Ideal Candidates:

• In good structural condition

• Top-tier columns that protrude above the deck

• Two or more stories tall

Even if a garage doesn’t check every box - say it's older or smaller - solar may still be viable with proper analysis and structural reinforcement.

Planning Considerations

When preparing for a solar project on a garage, keep the following in mind:

• Temporary Closures: Top-tier parking will need to be partially closed during construction.

• Lighting Adjustments: For existing structures, new PV canopies may block existing lighting; systems may need to be reconfigured.

• Structural Loads: Heavier steel framing is often required to support PV arrays.

• Safety Requirements: Rapid shutdown devices are mandated for PV systems to ensure first responder safety in emergencies. Your design team should coordinate with local authorities on code compliance.

If you’re considering future PV in a new parking facility – a little extra planning now can add great value down the road. Adding a small amount of structural reserve capacity, allocating space for future electrical panels, inverters, batteries and future conduits are all small costs that simplify future installations even further.

Don’t Miss the Incentive Window

Solar power can provide a real benefit in energy savings, but owners need to offset the upfront capital costs involved to make a project viable. Many factors play a role in the cost/benefit analysis – some locations are simply better fit than others due to environmental and location-specific factors, but tax incentives have also long played a critical role in bringing these projects to life.

The Energy Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is changing under the OBBB. Projects must now either start construction by July 2026 or be completed by 2027 to qualify. Time is short, especially for public projects with longer design and permitting timelines.

In addition to federal incentives, check for state and local tax incentive and grant programs available, such as NYSERDA / NY-Sun (New York tax credits) or MERIT (grants for Virginia transportation projects), amongst others.

The Bottom Line

Solar isn’t just for rooftops or rural sites. Parking garages offer a practical, flexible, and cost-effective alternative and a smart way to extract more value from a structure you already own.

At O&S, we’ve recently helped several clients assess their parking assets for solar readiness.

Contact Us if you’re wondering whether your garage has more to give, and we’d be happy to take a look.