homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Google tool that calculates the solar energy potential of your rooftop expands to all 50 states

It's never been easier to make an informed, market-based decision about going solar.

Tibi Puiu
March 15, 2017 @ 8:40 pm

share Share

What a solar energy potential map from Google looks like. Credit: Google.

What a solar energy potential map from Google looks like. Credit: Google.

Until not too long ago, solar used to be an alternative energy source reserved for the hip and wealthy. In the last five years, however, the price of installing solar, both utility-scale and residentially, has gone down so much that in some places it doesn’t make sense to be using anything else. But even in those sunny states like Nevada or Texas, there are many homeowners who are skeptical installing rooftop solar is cost-effective.

Launched in 2015, Google’s Project Rooftop came as a solution. Just as easy as using Google Maps, users need only to locate their home and the app calculates the solar potential but also the savings involved so you can make an informed, market-based decision. Now, the service has expanded to all 50 states and chances are you can also calculate your home’s solar potential with ease.

How it works

Solar potential of Googleplex in Mountain View, CA. Credit: Google.

Solar potential of Googleplex in Mountain View, CA. Credit: Google.

The tool exploits Google Maps and Google Earth, both extremely powerful services, in addition to machine learning techniques to come up with the most accurate answer — all at a massive scale. We’re talking about 60 million buildings currently in this ‘solar index’ with many more to be included in the future.

For years, NASA has a publically available tool which anyone can use to assess the solar flux hitting a particular area. Such information has proven invaluable for utility-scale projects but Google is doing it on a whole different level because Project Rooftop is smart enough to not only identify your rooftop surface area but also knows by how much it gets pounded by incoming photons.

The tool takes into account each portion of the roof, weather patterns, the position of the sun in the sky at different times of year, shade from nearby constructions or even trees. All of this information is translated into an energy production estimate based on industry standard models.

Essentially, this is no longer a guessing game.

Sample result of query using the solar energy savings tool. Credit: Google.

Sample result of a query using the solar energy savings tool. Credit: Google.

Some highlights from Google’s recent update for Project Rooftop:

 

  • Seventy-nine percent of all rooftops analyzed are technically viable for solar, meaning those rooftops have enough unshaded area for solar panels.
  • Over 90 percent of homes in Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico are technically viable, while states like Pennsylvania, Maine and Minnesota reach just above 60 percent viability.
  • Houston, TX has the most solar potential of any U.S. city in the Project Sunroof data, with an estimated 18,940 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of rooftop solar generation potential per year. Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, and New York follow Houston for the top 5 solar potential cities — see the full top 10 list in the chart below.

 

 

Credit: Google.

According to the EIA. the average American home consumes 10,812 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a year. In Houston alone, there’s enough rooftop solar potential to power 1,704,600 average American homes. If all the top 10 cities ranked above reached their full solar rooftop potential, they’d generated enough energy to power roughly 8 million homes.

The Project Sunroof data explorer tool allows anyone to explore rooftop solar potential across U.S. zip codes, cities, counties and states. If you want to calculate your personal financial savings from going solar use the  Project Sunroof savings estimator tool instead.

 

share Share

Tennis May Add Nearly 10 Years to Your Life and Most People Are Ignoring It

Could a weekly match on the court be the secret to a longer, healthier life?

Humans Have Been Reshaping Earth with Fire for at Least 50,000 Years

Fossil charcoal reveals early humans’ growing impact on the carbon cycle before the Ice Age.

The Strangest Microbe Ever Found Straddles The Line Between Life and Non-Life

A newly discovered archaeon blurs the boundary between cells and viruses.

This $8750 Watch Was Designed for Space and Could Finally Replace Apollo-era Omega Watches

An audacious new timepiece dares to outshine Omega’s legacy in space

The Brain May Make New Neurons in Adulthood and Even Old Age

Researchers identify the birthplace of new brain cells well into late adulthood.

Your gut has a secret weapon against 'forever chemicals': microbes

Our bodies have some surprising allies sometimes.

High IQ People Are Strikingly Better at Forecasting the Future

New study shows intelligence shapes our ability to forecast life events accurately.

Cheese Before Bed Might Actually Be Giving You Nightmares

Eating dairy or sweets late at night may fuel disturbing dreams, new study finds.

Scientists Ranked the Most Hydrating Drinks and Water Didn't Win

Milk is more hydrating than water. Here's why.

Methane Leaks from Fossil Fuels Hit Record Highs. And We're Still Looking the Other Way

Powerful leaks, patchy action, and untapped fixes keep methane near record highs in 2024.