Google’s Project Sunroof shows 4 out of 5 US homes are solar viable
- 7 years ago
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA — Google launched a project called Project Sunroof in 2015, which measures solar potential of individual homes in the U.S. The result of the project shows most U.S. homes have great solar viability.
The result was calculated using 3D modelling of the homes and nearby trees to get the amount of sunlight and shade the roof receives.
The project concludes that about 79 percent of all U.S. rooftops are solar viable, meaning four out of every five homes have enough unshaded area for solar panels.
In Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, more than 90 percent of the homes are solar viable. Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, Maine, and Minnesota, only over 60 percent are viable. The top three cities with most solar potential are Houston, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.
The project began in Boston, Fresno and the San Francisco Bay area, and has expanded to every U.S. state, with about 60 million buildings across the country having been analyzed.
The result was calculated using 3D modelling of the homes and nearby trees to get the amount of sunlight and shade the roof receives.
The project concludes that about 79 percent of all U.S. rooftops are solar viable, meaning four out of every five homes have enough unshaded area for solar panels.
In Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, more than 90 percent of the homes are solar viable. Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, Maine, and Minnesota, only over 60 percent are viable. The top three cities with most solar potential are Houston, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.
The project began in Boston, Fresno and the San Francisco Bay area, and has expanded to every U.S. state, with about 60 million buildings across the country having been analyzed.