Google Project Sunroof shows off solars huge potential in the US
Over eighty percent of homes in the US could run solar panels and if you want to wean yourself off of fossil fuels then that could be great news
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'Google Project Sunroof shows off solars huge potential in the US', 311 Institute, 16 March. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/google-project-sunroof-shows-off-solars-huge-potential-in-the-us/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
It sounds like an obvious thing, but if you’re a company who’s selling solar panels, or a consumer wanting to buy one, or even a government who wants to wean the country off fossil fuels, then being able to tell where, and where not, to put solar panels should come quite high up your priority list.
Now though, as we enter into an age where solar power is already the cheapest form of energy in over 58 countries, and where countries such as Africa, China, India and the US are bringing huge amounts of new solar capacity, such as the massive African Ouarzazate Noor plant online, Google, who recently achieved their own renewable energy goals, is coming to the rescue with the expansion of Project Sunroof. Did you know Google pay people to come up with these names? Cool job.
Anyway, over the past year the company has been busy using satellite imagery to build 3D models of rooftops in all 50 states, looked at the trees around people’s homes, considered the local weather, and figured out how much energy each house or building can generate if its owners slap down some cash for some solar panels. And what they found was that over eighty percent of all the buildings they modelled are “technically viable” for solar panels, which is geek speak for they catch enough rays each year to make generating electricity feasible.
Google has also gone so far as to put together a blog post that highlights just how much solar energy potential each city has, and Houston comes top with 18,940 gigawatt-hours of free energy from the sun just waiting to be tapped – enough to power around 1.7 million homes, quickly followed by Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Antonio.
Project Sunroof even lets you search for your house, suggests what type solar panel you could use and how much energy it would generate, so it’s a handy tool, and comes at a good time. Solar has been growing quickly in the US with cities such as Las Vegas recently announcing that they are now running on 100% solar, and residential installations grew at 19 percent last year – a figure that’s slower than in previous years, in part because most of the early adopters have already bought in but as the cost of solar continues to fall who knows, hopefully demand will pick up again and this will all be just the tip of the iceberg.
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Over eighty percent of homes in the US could run solar panels and if you want to wean yourself off of fossil fuels then that could be great news
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Sunroof google.com
- Shedding light solar potential all 50 us states blog.google
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 16 March 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). Google Project Sunroof shows off solars huge potential in the US. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/google-project-sunroof-shows-off-solars-huge-potential-in-the-us/
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