Google certainly wants you to turn to solar energy. The company's recently unveiled Project Sunroof an online tool that analyzes satellite images of your home or building and calculates its solar power potential. Then, after constructing a 3-D model of your rooftop, the tool provides an estimate regarding how much money solar panels would save you in the next 20 years due to the amount of sun that hits your roof each year, according to TechCrunch.
Using deep learning neural networks that imitate the human brain, the tool is able to distinguish between surrounding trees, shadows and more, from that of your rooftop, according to Wired. It then can track local weather patterns and can calculate how much shadows your roof is covered in based on all this information. All users have to do is type in certain information about how much they spend on their monthly utility bill and their address and then the tool will provide them will all the information you need regarding solar system size and costs of buying or leasing the panels.
"Google has a long history of advocating for solar power," Wired writes. "In addition to investing in solar as a means of powering its global network of data centers, the company previously has invested in residential solar projects. But this isn't mere charity work. Project Sunroof also recommends solar providers in your area, and it plans to eventually take a referral fee from these providers."
Project Sunroof is currently only available in the San Francisco Bay area and the greater Boston area, the later due to the fact that the project's creator, Carl Elkin, works at Google's Cambridge, MA offices lives nearby. The company does plan on expanding the service in the future, but did not provide any timeline for the roll out.
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