UK: Bluesky announced that the company is developing the UK’s first maps of solar energy potential. With the help of variety of high accuracy height data and 3D maps, the company will identify homes and other buildings with roofs that may be suitable for mounting solar panels to generate renewable energy. Bluesky already has access to off the shelf data for the whole of the UK and measurements such as the shape, pitch, size and aspect of building roofs are being extracted – information that is essential when considering the potential for solar energy installations.
“Using data that is already available online at www.bluesky-world.com, we can create citywide maps of solar energy potential. We are following in the footsteps of cities like New York, San Francisco and Boston,” said Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky. “Despite the popular perception of UK weather there exists an enormous potential for solar energy and the solar maps we are creating can be used by home owners to make an initial assessment about the suitability of their property or by Local Authorities or Utility companies to understand the wider potential.”
It is estimated that the UK receives 60 per cent of the solar energy compared with locations at the equator. This is equivalent to 1000 power stations. On average each square metre of the UK receives between 900 – 1200kwh each year.
Source: Bluesky
