Google Project Sunroof: making solar easier
Google’s Project Sunroof looks to fix this using smart technology.
Google’s Project Sunroof looks to fix this using smart technology.
The cost to install solar has dropped by more than 70 percent in the last decade, with prices in Q3 of 2020 hitting the lowest levels ever recorded. Yet many still believe that solar is only a luxury item for green-minded consumers, rather than a long term cost-saving investment.
Why is this? A big reason is the lack of easily accessible information about how solar can save you money. Like FloridaSolarPanels.net, Google’s Project Sunroof looks to fix this using smart technology.
What is Project Sunroof?
Google Project Sunroof is an initiative started by Carl Elkin, a Google engineer in Cambridge, MA. Originally a 20% project, Elkin’s online tool went live in 2015 to help homeowners determine if their home is ideal for solar energy and if the potential savings are worth the investment. Project Sunroof’s biggest claim to fame is its solar calculator tool, which uses multiple data sources to determine how much a home would benefit from a rooftop solar system.
The imagery provided by Google Earth allows for the creation of a digital surface model, which shows the direction that the roof faces (south or southwest exposure is best), the angle of its tilt, and the presence of shading objects like trees. With that information, Google models how much sunlight hits the roof over the course of the day using 3-D geometry. By adding in data about local weather patterns from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and taking averages over the course of a year, Project Sunroof can provide a solid baseline estimate of a roof’s solar potential.
From here, it only requires a few more calculations to give a custom cost estimate for any home. Simply enter your address to give it a try here.
What problem does Project Sunroof solve?
Like Florida Solar Panels Network, Project Sunroof seeks to solve the problem of information transparency in the solar industry. For many people, going solar is a challenging process that’s filled with research and questions. There is no shortage of solar information and data on the Internet, but it is extremely dispersed, and sometimes difficult to understand for those unfamiliar with the industry and its terminology.
Project Sunroof seeks to make going solar easier by providing the public with accurate, fast, and easy to understand data. All you need to do is enter in your address, and Google does the hard work behind the scenes, providing you with an accurate estimate of how much you could save with solar. They pair this with a “heat map” visual of your roof, giving a clear picture of its solar potential. Lighter colors represent sunnier areas, and darker tones indicate shading.
What are the drawbacks of Project Sunroof?
At this time, Project Sunroof has not reached every roof in the United States. Although Google continues to add new properties every day, the service is not yet available for every home. However, as of late 2020, Project Sunroof has reached more than 60 million roofs across all 50 states, so there’s a good chance that your home has been mapped already! This should continue to improve as Project Sunroof expands its coverage in the coming months and years.
How accurate is Project Sunroof?
While Project Sunroof may not have been as accurate in 2015, updated algorithms over time improved the accuracy of the online tool. According to Project Sunroof’s changelog, it hasn’t been updated since 2018, so that may no longer be the case. Some of the data may be outdated due to new solar energy incentives or other changes.
Project Sunroof also doesn’t consider alternatives to rooftop solar systems. For properties with a large sunny area, such as a field, ground-mounted solar panels may be an option. These systems may offer more flexibility, such as adjusting the angle of solar panels, than what is typically available with rooftop solar.
Explore your solar savings with Florida Solar Panels Network calculator today!
Get the best data from both Project Sunroof and FloridaSolarPanels.net and explore your cost savings with the Florida Solar Panel Human Calculator. We use the most accurate information available to give you a strong estimate of how much you’ll save by going solar. If you’d like to take advantage of these potential savings, create an account with us, and we’ll provide you with competitive quotes from local installers!
© Copyright 2022 FloridaSolarPanels.net