I’ve designed several of these. The plowing and maintenance cost impacts are pretty small compared to the lease rates and energy sales/savings. On the one hand, yes it can reduce the amount of water and snow, making it to the pavement. But on the other hand, you’re limited buy some of the additional columns in the parking lots. Height can be a restriction, but they’re generally put at about 14 feet leading edge for fire access, as well as plowing access.

There’s also a huge range in the water and snow management strategies. You can use ones that have a deck or gasketing solution and are V-shaped to collect all water and snow and then funnel these via gutters and downspouts into an existing drainage system. You can also do some or none of those things.

One benefit that is universal is the shade when it’s sunny, especially in the summer. That’s a nice perk.

But at the end of the day, it’s really the cost to build it, the lease payment to the owner, and the energy savings for the offtakeer that govern the economics. And you need to build a giant steel superstructure with a 15 foot deep caisson foundations which makes these significantly more expensive than rooftops or ground mounts.