Google to add a solar roof calculator to measure solar panel feasibility

Ashlem · Aug 17, 2015

Google's making it easy for you to get solar panels onto your roof

Adding solar panels to your roof can be frustrating, since it's often difficult to know if your home receives enough light to justify the investment. Google Maps, however, has satellite, navigation and sunlight data for every property in the world, so it's ideally placed to tell you how many rays hit your crib on a daily basis. That's why the firm is launching Sunroof, a database of how much solar energy hits each building in a city, helping people work out if it's worth the effort. Sunroof is intended as a "treasure map" for future green energy projects, telling you how much of a saving you'd make and how long it'd take to make back your initial outlay.

To begin with, Project Sunroof will only be available in three locations: Boston, San Francisco and Fresno. If it turns out to be successful, however, then Google will roll the service out to the rest of the country and, possibly, the world. Once you've put in your address, you'll be told how much you're likely to save in energy costs, and then be put in touch with a local installer.
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I think having something like this would be invaluable in determining if solar panels would be cost effective for your house. Every solar panel installer should be petition Google to roll this program out nationwide asap.

ForestBeekeeper · Aug 17, 2015

I disagree.

Why not have an automobile calculator to determine if it is feasible for you to own a car?

Does everyone have the same car? No.

In my town, we have at least three homes that are off-grid. A fourth home will be off-grid within the year. None of these homes have the same setup.

Your needs are different from my needs. Each setup is different from every other setup.

I have 4400 watts of panels. Other homes might only have 2,000 watts.

If anyone is actually thinking about off-grid power, there are good forums to discuss it on. There are regional installers and equipment dealers, who can all design your system for you.

Trollbait · Aug 17, 2015

But how many of those forums can tell if your home gets enough sunlight to make PV, off or on grid, worth the bother to even call an installer out?

Google to add a solar roof calculator to measure solar panel feasibility

Ashlem Senior Member

ForestBeekeeper Active Member

Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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Google to add a solar roof calculator to measure solar panel feasibility

Ashlem Senior Member

ForestBeekeeper Active Member

Trollbait It's a D&D thing