I have similar thoughts. Surface parking lots are often targets for infill development of residential / commercial structures, which if built intelligently can increase density and therefore walkability / bikeability. I’d imagine adding solar panel canopies to surface parking lots increases their value significantly, reinforcing the car-centric land use pattern and making it more difficult to replace them. It is far more energy efficient to walk short distances in a dense urban grid than it is to drive long distances between buildings that are separated by oceans of parking lots.

All that said, this is still a good solution for the land use pattern we have today. When it comes to environmentalism I’m of the view that perfect can often be the enemy of good.