Mapping the Solar Potential of Every Roof

A new app out of MIT provides property owners with detailed information about the solar potential of their roofs. The app is currently at work in five cities.

1 minute read

October 8, 2014, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Rooftop Solar Panels

CoCreatr / Flickr

"A rooftop solar mapping and assessment tool developed at MIT could eventually make it dead simple to discover the solar potential of every single rooftop in a city," reports Derek Markham. "The tool, called Solar System, uses high resolution mapping data to create a 3D model of the entire community, including roofs and trees, and then calculates their solar potential by analyzing it against historical weather data."

The tool, licensed by Madwell, "currently has data for just 5 cities in the US, including Washington DC and Boston." The article provides additional information about the type of data Solar System can provide homeowners looking to add solar power capacity to their homes.

Monday, October 6, 2014 in CleanTechnica

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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