High real estate cost and land-use restrictions in East Hampton make it difficult to find suitable land parcels for solar development. Covering existing parking lots with solar canopies would offer an alternative to conventional ground-mounted solar arrays typically used for large-scale solar farms. Suffolk County has installed solar arrays over its parking lots at the Riverhead County Center, the H. Lee Dennison Building, and the County Legislature in Hauppauge.
While solar parking lots present an alternative to commonly used ground-mounted arrays, they also currently carry a significant cost premium. The Town of East Hampton is evaluating opportunities for solar canopies at suitable town-owned parking areas.