Properties across the United Kingdom have been assessed for their suitability for solar panels by aerial company BlueSky. The project looked at the housing stock’s solar energy potential in England and Wales. High resolution aerials combined with 3D data was used to collect data about the usable roof area, pitch, and aspect of roofs. Additionally, obstacles such as skylights on the roof or nearby trees or buildings have also been mapped as part of the analysis. The resulting data about roof availability was then used carbon reduction company Sustain which calculated the potential number of solar panels per roof and the estimated solar irradiation.
“To date, working with Bluesky, we have calculated the potential solar energy yield of nearly 15,000 properties across the UK,” commented Antony Scott, Senior Associate at Sustain Ltd. “Using the data supplied we are able to calculate the potential yield on a roof by roof basis. This can then be amalgamated into a value for the entire stock. We then work with the individual Housing Association to offer advice on funding options and on procurement, as well as management of the installation programme.”
Properties can then be categorized based on their solar insolation. The solar maps and databases can be supplied in various formats including Google kmz for use in Google Earth, Esri shapefiles, and 3D pdfs.