Today, the utilization of solar energy doesn't only involve big
manufacturers, but also in residential areas. In the United States, the cost of
solar panel system installation decreases due to the increasing number of homes
that are powered by solar energy.
In order to help the homeowners to understand what is needed
to install a solar panel system and how significant its impact in saving power
consumption, Google presents Project Sunroof. The Project Sunroof is a feature
that's integrated into Google Maps, where users can evaluate the potential of
the solar panel system in each residence.
Project Sunroof utilizes high-resolution mapping technology
which is similar to that's used by Google Earth. Furthermore, Project Sunroof
will predict how much the sunlight that's shining on the roof of your home each
year by analyzing various factors: the shape of the house roof in 3D, the
shadows of trees or other buildings in the vicinity, as well as the patterns of
weather changes in the area.
If you are in the area that has been reached by this project
- currently only three cities in the US - you only need to enter your home
address into Google Maps. Project Sunroof will then show roughly about how much
the solar energy that can be maximized, and how extensive the house roof that
can be fitted with solar panels optimally.
After all the above information is collected and processed,
Project Sunroof will calculate the estimated costs that can be saved after you
install a solar panel system and start utilizing the solar energy. Project
Sunroof will also help you to contact those who are experienced in the
installation of solar panel systems around your region.
Project Sunroof itself was originally born from the side
project of Google's senior engineer, Carl Elkin. Although for now it only covers
three cities in US - San Francisco (Bay Area), Fresno and Boston - but Google
promises will continue to expand the reach of Project Sunroof to other regions
in the future.