I came across a couple of links that I thought I would share.
CH2M Hill is a global company that is involved in engineering, construction, and operations. They have embarked on a project to identify the potential of using solar energy in 25 cities across the country.
There was an article on Marketwatch over the weekend explaining what CH2M Hill was doing and how they were doing it. Here is a quick excerpt from that article:
Punching an address into the city's search engine pulls up data on the estimated amount of solar photovoltaic energy that could be installed on a specific roof, potential electricity cost reduction, and potential carbon dioxide/greenhouse gas reduction.
Imagine being able to do that for every city in the Country and then specifically for your own home. That is where this is going. San Francisco, CA already has employed the technology. Check out this link http://sf.solarmap.org . I brought up my old address 2375 35th Ave and it pulled up a ton of information on the potential for using solar energy.
Another excerpt from the article:
"Right now, to get a solar assessment on a roof, you have to call up the solar installer, they bring their ladder, a guy wonders around on your roof, and two or three weeks later you get a report," Herrmann said. "With this technology, you could do it accurately and quickly without having to roll a truck."
Here is CH2M Hill's factsheet on the S.A.F.E technology
Think about how much money is going to be saved with this initiative. No longer will it require man-hours to do a site survey for study of the viability of solar energy at every site. For the first time in a long time I am excited about the possibility of large numbers of energy neutral homes coming on line in the next five years.
CH2M Hill has offices out by the airport. Here's hoping Pittsburgh is one of the next cities to be evaluated.
Thanks for reading.
James
