Fellow Steemians,

Google just released a free online tool that you can use for analyzing your rooftop's solar power potential! PROJECT SUNROOF (created by engineer Carl Elkin) uses Google's massive satellite database to map out the shade and sunlight that your rooftop receives throughout the year. They do this with pretty surprising accuracy, showing which buildings are too shaded vs. those that are well positioned for solar panels. Additionally, you can learn more about the cost-benefit of implementing solar power on your property.

Over the last few years the cost of solar equipment has dropped significantly. State grants are also ramping up, providing discounts for those who are interested in diversifying their energy portfolio. This diversification alleviates a growing burden on the national power grid while also reducing your monthly electricity bill. The goal of PROJECT SUNROOF is to make solar power more accessible to the masses.

“We want people to realize solar is absolutely part of the fabric of American life.”

Carl Elkin's team analyzed upwards of 60 million buildings in the United States for this project so far. There are still spots that haven't been mapped (a remaining est. 40 million buildings, yowza). Still, this project helps visualize the potential of solar in the United States. It's amazing to see how much wasted power just bounces off your roof every single day.

Here's a little bit more about the project and how it works...

Analysis

Each of the mapped communities come with a pretty neat analysis. Here's an example from Fresno, California:

Fresno, CA has a high number of large, flat roofs per square mile. There are over 30,000 roofs large enough to install at least a 20 kW system. If every large, viable roof were to deploy solar, the amount of solar electricity generated would make up 66% of the city’s estimated solar capacity. Flat roofs can be ideal installation locations for community solar arrays.

Community solar, a shared renewable electricity arrangement, lets multiple customers share power from a single local solar source. This approach can be ideal for people who want to go solar but are not able to do so for such common reasons as not owning their own homes, having a roof that's too pitched or shaded, or living in an apartment building or a townhome. A community solar project combines investments from several community members, providing power and financial benefits to local residents looking to switch to solar.