Google’s Project Sunroof Heads Overseas For First Time With Germany’s E.ON

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Google’s Project Sunroof, which provides consumers an easy-to-use way to determine the benefits of solar for their own rooftop, has finally spread its wings and headed overseas, thanks to a partnership between Google and German-based utility E.ON.

Google and E.ON will jointly offer Project Sunroof to residents in Germany, the first time the service has been available outside of the United States. Originally conceived and launched back in early-2015 as part of one of Google’s 20% projects — projects Google allows its employees to tackle during 20% of their paid work time — Project Sunroof has since become a highly prized tool for consumers looking for information on whether to install solar energy on their roofs, and how to go about it. Using high-resolution aerial mapping provided by Google Earth, Project Sunroof provides consumers with a way to calculate their own roof’s solar energy potential.

Now, with all of the United States covered, Project Sunroof will be available for about 40% of the German population, or around seven million buildings in major German urban areas such as Munich, Berlin, Rhine-Main, and the Ruhr. As E.ON explains, “homeowners can easily and precisely determine their home’s potential solar capacity and generate plans for installing a solar system. All they need to do is enter their address online.”

“With Sunroof, we are able to digitize sales of solar systems more intensively and thereby increase the appeal of photovoltaics,” said Karsten Wildberger, COO of E.ON. “It clearly demonstrates the potential benefits of digitalization for the ongoing shift in energy production. Along with Sunroof and E.ON SolarCloud, we will be developing additional digital products in order to offer our customers the highest degree of independence and security through E.ON solar systems.”

With over 60 million buildings covered in the United States, Project Sunroof statistics show that on average, 79% of all roofs prove suitable for solar power. This obviously varies depending on which state is targeted, with some states such as Arizona reaching peak value of over 90%, while even northern states such as Maine are able to provide up to 60% of rooftops for solar potential.

It will be interesting, therefore, to see what the potential of Germany’s roofs is.

“Google has been relying on renewable energy sources for many years in supplying the needs of its own infrastructure and beyond,” explained Philipp Justus, Vice President of Google in Germany and Central Europe. “With Sunroof our goal is to encourage more people tapping into the potential found in their own rooftops.”


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Joshua S Hill

I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

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