Oct 16 2008

Fun Map for Energy Geeks

Do you wonder if you are a good candidate for rooftop solar power? Do you have $100 million to spend on a utility-scale solar plant, but need the ideal location?

 

Check out http://firstlook.3tiergroup.com/ (registration required), which offers "the first comprehensive, contiguous and high-resolution solar map for the entire Western Hemisphere."
Based on extensive satellite data, and using the Google Maps engine, it lets you click on a location (or input an address) to determine how much solar radiation typically falls there. As a bonus, it will also tell you average wind speed, in case you'd rather install some turbines.


At my sunny home in the North Bay, I get an average of 4.83 kilowatt hours per square meter, according to the map. In the foggy Sunset District of San Francisco, the value falls to about 4. In Tehachapi Mountain Park in southern California, the value topped 6, beating even most parts of Nevada. The wind blows pretty fast there as well--an average of 6.7 meters per second, if the map is right.

 

But check out the Lost Coast in Northern California--there the wind speed averages 8.8 meters per second. That plus fog can produce some serious wind chill!

 

Posted by: Jonathan Marshall | Comments (0) digg delicioussend to a friendprint entry

 

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Solar

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