Solar Mapping Technology

Its seems to be the growing trend in today’s society of people “going green” and doing everything they can to help preserve the environment for future generations. From hybrid cars to recycling programs, citizens around the world are doing their part. Along with this, it is a well known fact that solar energy is a good thing when it comes to protecting the environment, but few people really understand why. Solar Energy is clean, renewable (unlike gas, oil and coal) and sustainable, helping to protect our environment. Also, economically solar energy is beneficial because after the initial investment has been recovered, the energy from the sun is practically free. The recovery/ payback period for this investment can be very short depending on how much electricity your household uses. In Englewood, Colorado, the engineering giant CH2M Hill has just developed a free Web site that drastically improves the potential for home and business owners to utilize solar energy.

With backing from the U.S. Department of Energy, CH2M Hill won a small but noteworthy contract of $6 million to provide raw data on solar power potential under the U.S. Solar America Initiative. 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. The company’s solution is a solar energy map using aerial imagery and combined with advanced 3-D modeling, available for public access and viewing through a Web portal. The Web site also provides information on installing a photovoltaic system, including contact information for local solar installers. David Herrmann, client solution directors CH2M Hill, said the mapping program could potentially replace the current method of assessing solar energy potential. "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."

I believe that this data collection Web site is an extremely important innovation which will greatly aid the efforts of all citizens to “go green.” Solar energy systems are basically maintenance free, as well as not polluting our air by releasing carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide or mercury into the atmosphere like many traditional forms of electrical generations does. Therefore, Solar Energy does not contribute to global warming, acid rain or smog. Global warming is an increasingly dangerous phenomenon, and through using this new technology steps can be taken to ensure that the use of solar energy systems will drastically increase, thus making the environment less hazardous for our children and their children.