Google Introduces Project Sunroof
Does it make sense to install solar panels on your roof? You probably have no idea. But as of today, Google knows. The colorful and recently alphabetized search monstrosity has launched a new tool called Project Sunroof. It will use data you may not have realized that Google even had to tell you how much money you can save by turning your roof into a photon harvester.
For my girlfriend’s old house in Menlo Park, Calif., Google says she could have saved $600 a year by installing enough photovoltaic panels (25 square meters) to generate 4 kilowatts. Installation would have cost her a total of $0 on a 20 year lease. Google calculates the amount saved by taking into account typical utility rates, relevant federal and state tax credits, utility rebates, and whatever renewable energy credits might be available in your area. Meanwhile, the power that the panels can theoretically produce is modified by what Google knows about local weather patterns on a day-to-day basis.