Google has recently announced that it is working on a project that will help people learn how much electricity their rooftop can provide with a solar power system. Project Sunroof, will include a 3D model of every rooftop in 50 states and include shades, trees, and weather in the calculation.
According to this new software program, Houston, Texas is the best city in the U.S. for rooftop solar power installation. According to Project Sunroof, Houston can generate 18,940 gigawatt-hours each year. Consequently, the city could be powered as one gigawatt-hour can power 90 homes.
The software also has an individualistic approach. One can search for his or her house and see the estimates of how much energy would be generated. Thus, the cost of solar panel installation or choosing the type of solar panel can also be calculated through the software.
Despite the effort to help people install solar power to their homes, the solar power market still slows down. Last year, residential installations only grew by 19%. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, it is inevitable that the 5 states that are largest in solar power industry will experience a drop in growth rate.
This dropdown can be reasoned to the changes made in metering policies. Most of the time, the utility companies work with the government to have regulators that will reduce the amount of money that would be paid for the solar electricity generation. For now, the system seems to be working, but in the future, solar energy will not be taken granted of.
The SEIA reported that there is a lack of new customers in the solar power industry. This can explain why there has been a slow down in the investments. That’s why Project Sunroof can be a great tool to increase the newcomers to the industry.
[via cleantechnica]
