After launching its Project Sunroof in 2015 to estimate annual rooftop solar PV generation potential in 2 states of the US, and later expanding it to the entire country in 2017, Google is now increasingly looking abroad (see Google Extends Project Sunroof To Entire US). After it teamed up with German utility E.on already in 2017 to Germany and later to the UK, it has now joined hands with France's Total SE for a similar project.
Total SE and Google Cloud have developed what they call the Solar Mapper as an innovative tool to provide individual customers with an 'accurate and rapid' estimate to their rooftop solar power generation potential.
Developed within 6 months duration, the Solar Mapper will extract data using satellite images, and offer relevance of the PV technology with the help of artificial intelligence algorithms, Google said. For Total, this Solar Mapper tool will enable it to faster deploy solar panels on residential rooftops.
The French energy company added that after this B2C application, it will also develop a B2B tool of Solar Mapper to ascertain solar power potential of industrial and commercial buildings and installations. "Solar Mapper is contributing to the Group's ambition to become a world leader in the production of renewable energies, toward getting to net-zero emissions by 2050 together with society," Total stated in a statement issued.
Both the partners claim the tool provides over 90% geographical coverage with greater accuracy. It will initially be rolled out in Europe to be followed by a worldwide launch.
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