Tech

Google Announces ‘Project Sunroof’ to Encourage People to Install Solar Panels

Google has just announced the launch of Project Sunroof, which is designed to help people figure out how to make solar power work for their household.

The project aims to use existing Google Earth data to show people how much sunlight their roof gets, and where each roof’s hotspots are. It will also calculate your potential savings, and connect you with a company in your area that can install solar panels.

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Project Sunroof was founded after Google noticed a large number of search queries about how to use solar energy. How many panels to install, where to put them, and how financially beneficial the installation would actually be: these were all frequent questions coming from Google users. The process of getting started using solar energy is complicated, and there’s no telling how many prospective users were turned off by a lack of information.

Hopefully, Project Sunroof will change that. It’s being launched initially in Boston (where the Project Sunroof team is based), the Bay Area, and Fresno; but will eventually be available nationwide.